New Homeless Shelter On The Upper East Side Sparks Petition

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — A new men's homeless shelter is planned to open on the Upper East Side this spring, and more than 1,500 Upper East Siders have already signed a petition against it.

The men's shelter, to be located on 1114 First Ave. near East 61st Street, will be operated by Housing Solutions of New York and be right above a Goodwill store.

The shelter will run a variety of services, including case management, counseling, permanent housing placement, job placement assistance and more.

Community Board 8 chair Valerie Mason told members the shelter was coming at a meeting last week, adding that since the shelter falls within 1,000 feet of a school, it will have certain restrictions on who can live there, including banning people on probation or parole for sex offenses.

"I don’t want anybody to get crazy, but there is going to be a new homeless shelter on the Upper East Side," Mason said.

The men living there will have a curfew of 11 p.m., Mason said.

The petition, started by Upper East Side business owner Mark Yosef, argues that the shelter was planned without sufficient input from local residents or business owners.

"We, the undersigned business owners, operators and residents in the Upper East Side and surrounding neighborhoods, formally and unequivocally oppose the proposed homeless shelter at 1114 First Avenue," the petition reads.

"This proposal has advanced without adequate notice, transparency, or meaningful engagement with the business community that sustains this area economically and employs hundreds of New Yorkers. The City’s failure to consult affected stakeholders prior to moving forward represents a serious breakdown in process and accountability."

The petition is addressed to Mayor Zohran Mamdani, the City Council, and the Department of Homeless Services.

The shelter is unlikely to open before March, Mason said during the meeting.

The city's Department of Homeless Services will present details to Upper East Siders at a community board meeting next month, Mason said.

"We're working with the NYPD, we're working with Councilmember Menin's office," Mason told the board. "So I just, I don't want you to be surprised, and I don't want you not to know that we're going to have this upcoming meeting, because I'm sure that people are going to start asking a lot of questions. We're on top of it."

Check back with Patch for details on when the meeting will be scheduled.

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