UWS Hotel To Become Temporary Homeless Shelter For 283 People

UPPR WEST SIDE, NY — The Lucerne Hotel, on the corner of Amsterdam Avenue at 201 W. 79th Street, will soon host 283 homeless people as a way to help reduce the population at shelters in Lower Manhattan.

The hotel will serve as a temporary "de-densification" site by the city, according to Councilmember Helen Rosenthal.

The 283 homeless New Yorkers, all of whom are men, will be coming to stay at The Lucerne Hotel from two East Village shelters for people with substance abuse issues.

The first, Kenton Hall Men's Shelter, houses "men on methadone maintenance," which is a medication that helps people battling opioid abuse. The second, Third Street Men's Shelter, helps tenants stay sober while assisting in the search for jobs and permanent housing.

Monday is the expected move-in date, according to Rosenthal, who was notified about the move this week. The shelter will be operated by Project Renewal, a nonprofit that helps homeless and low-income men and women.

"My overwhelming concern is for the safety of our community," Rosenthal said in a statement. "Project Renewal says that all clients will be tested for the coronavirus ahead of the move, and no one who tests positive will be housed at The Lucerne."

"Anyone who tests positive would be moved to an isolation hotel (not in our district.)," she added.

Project Renewal laid out a plan for how it would oversee the temporary shelter, including:

• 50 staff members managing operations.
• 18 security guards with two supervisors on each shift, including an outdoor security post and block patrols every 30 minutes.
• A stockpile of masks large enough to distribute to tenants and staff regularly.

The City's Department of Homeless Services has not yet told local officials how long the temporary shelter will stay on the Upper West Side.