Friends And Foes Headed To Park Slope Homeless Shelter Meeting

PARK SLOPE, BROOKLYN — Two new homeless shelters coming to Fourth Avenue that have divided Park Slopers will face their second forum in the community on Tuesday.

Community Board 7, which oversees one of the two properties where the shelters will open later this year, will host the meeting from 6:30 to 8 p.m. in Grand Prospect Hall. Attendees will get the chance to ask questions about the 555 and 535 Fourth Ave. developments and hear from various officials, including representatives from the Department of Homeless Services and WIN, the nonprofit that will run the facilities.

At least some of those attendees will be from the two opposing groups who have been organizing in support of or against the family shelters. Patch has learned that both groups, Citizen Squirrel and Fourth Avenue Neighbors, plan to make their voices heard at the meeting.

"Opponents of the shelters were very vocal at the first meeting despite the fact that more neighbors support the shelters than not. We will be there to be vocal, too," Citizen Squirrel said in an email callout to its members. "Please attend this meeting, with or without your children, to show that more of us support families in need than not."

The shelters are part of Mayor Bill de Blasio's plan to build 90 new shelters across the city. The plan aims to close the city's commercial hotel and "cluster unit" shelters and build more shelters where homeless New Yorkers are from, rather than only in low-income communities.

The two shelters will bring 250 units for homeless families and 29 permanent supportive housing apartments largely for single mothers with children.

Those organizing against the shelters have said that their main point of contention is the combined $261 million contract the city is entering to open the shelters. The $6.3 million and $4.6 million yearly rent will go to "bad actor" developers on properties that otherwise could have become permanent affordable housing, the group has said.

They also recently contended in an analysis comparing the new shelters to WIN shelters in East New York that the city is budgeting twice as much for services at the Fourth Avenue shelters than the others.

Those who signed a Citizen Squirrel petition, though, argue that supporting the shelters, and the families that live in them, is the neighborhood's moral obligation.

That petition, which has gained more than 3,100 signatures, contends that Park Slope should instead help the families, which will largely be single mothers with children, get back on their feet by volunteering, providing job opportunities, join WIN's Community Advisory Group and donate to the shelters.

The forum will be held at 263 Prospect Avenue. Along with WIN and DHS, elected officials, the neighborhood's superinendent of schools and local NYPD representatives will be there to answer questions.