Neighborhood residents want 237 West 107th Street back from “Batman,” and they’re gearing up for the next part of the fight.
At their long-awaited meeting with the commissioner of the city’s homeless-services">Department of Homeless Services, Robert Hess, local tenants gathered on Thursday night to discuss the closure of the transitional homeless shelter that has been operating out of 237 since February.
That shelter, located just east of Broadway on 107th, has been the subject of debate largely due to the building’s controversial owner, Mark Hersh. Years ago, he was labeled the “West Side Batman” for physically intimidating tenants.
DHS originally planned to offer Hersh a nine-year contract this year to operate a shelter in the building, but by the end of February, the city halted plans when neighborhood concerns prompted it to investigate the ownership.
After determining that the ownership had been “misrepresented” in official documents, the city decided to change the contract for the building—now a temporary home for 80 women—and operate it as a shelter only until the end of November. Hirsch did not respond to several requests for comment.
On Thursday, Hess explained to residents that this situation developed amid a homelessness emergency citywide. “This just kind of exploded on us,” he said.
Responding to residents’ complaints that the shelter had inadequate security and social services, Hess said that as of Wednesday, April 7, the office of the budget had approved additional funding for the shelter to allow it to provide its own security and do building repairs. He called this a “highly unusual step,” and said the money would allow for 12-13 security staff members and for cameras to be installed.
Hess explained that while he understood the neighborhood’s concerns, he had a legal obligation to provide beds for everyone entering the shelter system. “We’ve been opening facilities at a rate of about one per week in the five boroughs, just to keep up with demand,” he said.
Since the beginning of the economic downturn, he added, demand for shelters in the city has increased by 58 percent.
The meeting, held at the Church of the Ascension only steps from the shelter, attracted about 75 people, many of whom expressed concerns about the shelter’s operation.
“They’re homeless women—my heart goes out to them, but it’s transient. It’s women in and out. It’s not serious, it’s not stable,” said Suzanne Halasz, who lives in 272 107th Street.
In response to criticisms that the DHS has not been transparent about the number of tenants in the shelter, Hess said, “I’m not sure what else I can do.”
The meeting ultimately shifted focus to the fate of the space and the notorious landlord, once the shelter vacates the property.
“We have local providers ready to step in and take over this building if it can be bought and taken out of the owner’s hands and turned into affordable housing,” said Peter Arndtsen, director of the Columbus-Amsterdam Business Improvement District.
Hess emphasized that he could not force people to sell their property, to which Arndtsen replied, “We’d like to.”
There is precedent for getting the building out of Hersh’s hands, but it’s a tricky process, said Stephan Russo from the Goddard Riverside Community Center. He, along with Father John Duffell of the Church of the Ascension, said that they will work on trying to acquire the building once it’s empty in December.
“If he really wants to sell, you have a community willing to organize, and a city willing to develop. I’m not sure if pressure can be put on him,” Russo said.
But with the shelter leaving in eight months, additional security funding on its way, and no significant incidents since it opened, most people seemed satisfied for now.
After the meeting, Catherine Rothwell, a resident of the homeless shelter, said that the neighborhood’s concerns were unfounded.
The rules are extremely strict, she said, and women who aren’t looking for work or schooling, or who use drugs or alcohol, are immediately discharged.
The only tenant at the meeting, she said she is aware that the neighborhood didn’t exactly welcome the shelter with open arms. “I think the meeting was a positive thing … I always take the bitter with the sweet.” She said she knows there are “angry people who don’t want the women here,” but that people don’t know who they really were.
She said, “It’s a lot of very nice women who are just down on their luck right now.”
COMMENTS
Comments will be moderated in accordance with our comment policy