Lower Manhattan’s Unhoused Population Said to be 400
The controversial plan for a safe haven shelter at 320 Pearl Street has been delayed until the first quarter of next year, “at the earliest,” according to a presentation given by officials from the administration of Mayor Eric Adams at a September 18 meeting of the Quality of Life Committee of Community Board 1 (CB1).
During that session, committee chair Pat Moore said, “as you know very well, this community, this Community Board, our Council member, are all totally and completely opposed to this site.”
“We are not opposed to safe havens in our community,” Ms. Moore continued, in a reference to shelters that have less restrictive rules and fewer selection criteria than traditional facilities for the unhoused. Supporters of the approach argue that this flexibility can make such shelters more effective in addressing homelessness, but critics voice concerns that lower barriers to entry can attract a cohort with elevated incidence of criminal activity, substance abuse, or mental illness.
“But this siting is inappropriate,” she said. “We have stated that, from the beginning.”
Chris Gonzalez, the chief strategy officer at the City’s Department of Social Services (DSS), presented a statistical overview indicating that the unhoused population in Lower Manhattan is approximately 400 people. He noted that the proposed shelter at 320 Pearl, which is to be called “South Strand,” will contain 106 beds, in a double-room configuration. “The expectation is that we will open this site for clients in the first quarter of next year,” he said.
CB1 chair Tammy Meltzer pushed back, noting that local opposition to the plan hinges not on a safe haven shelter per se, but springs from concerns about its location next door to the Peck Slip School, which adjoins 320 Pearl Street. “The problem is with this type of shelter,” she said. “That school itself has shown its willingness to help the homeless. Many of the schools in our district have tons of migrant children, at this point. And we have a very supportive system and pipeline to serve that community.”
“A shelter with kids would be appropriate,” Ms. Meltzer said. She added that Slate Property Group, the real estate development firm that purchased 320 Pearl Street (a former Hampton Inn hotel) for $24 million last December with the intention of turning it into a homeless shelter, “also does affordable housing. We had hoped that they would do affordable housing there, which is desperately needed in our area. You talk about 400 homeless, I talk about losing over 2,000 units of affordable housing, just in this area. So when you’re talking about adding to homelessness, consider that it’s because we don’t have affordable housing and people keep getting thrown out.”
City Council member Christoper Marte said, “it’s been nearly four months since I was informed of this safe haven, and the only details we’ve received are that it’s expected to open in the beginning of 2025. The lack of transparency in the process has eroded trust with the community, and DSS’s refusal to acknowledge the fundamental issue with this project, that a safe haven connected to a school is not an appropriate location, makes it impossible to discuss the project in good faith. DSS must understand that this is an unprecedented proposal, and the community does not want to be the case study for placing Safe Havens five feet away from a school entrance. Until DSS listens to the community and changes the population for this shelter, I will continue to oppose a safe haven at this site.”
Separately, the relationship between Mayor Adams and Slate Property Group has attracted scrutiny. In 2018, Mr. Adams, then serving as Brooklyn Borough President and beginning to plan a run for mayor three years later, attended a fundraiser at Slate’s offices, which raked in $20,000. Later in the same year, Mr. Adams decided to support a zoning variance sought by Slate, over the community’s objections, which allowed a proposed tower to be built higher than would otherwise have been allowed.
Slate Property Group began buying shelters and sites on which to develop new homeless facilities in 2020, ultimately spending more than $300 million on these acquisitions. The firm now operates ten homeless shelters across Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Bronx, and Queens.
A spokesman for Mr. Adams declined to comment on the Mayor’s relationship with Slate Property Group.