Angry residents shocked last week to find out that their new neighbors at 800 East 12th Street are formerly homeless men and women in transition are now demanding answers from the agency charged with monitoring them.
The New York City Department of Homeless Services has contracted with a non−profit organization called Common Ground to house an unspecified number of adult men and women inside the old Oak Hotel − a property neighbors say has a long history of unsavory and anti−social activities.
Between 75 to 100 neighbors packed the cramped headquarters of Community Board 14 late last week in an attempt to find out more about the people occupying 12 units of the old hotel as part of Common Ground’s bed stabilization program.
“We’re committed to keeping the community safe,” Common Ground’s director of Outreach and Housing Placement Amie Pospisil said.
But such assurances failed to assuage neighbors who fear that they might be sharing their streets with potentially dangerous residents.
Nevertheless, Common Ground refused to talk about any of the problems their clients might have had in the past, saying only that each of them have been closely evaluated and come from Community Board 14 and the surrounding area.
“Brooklyn has seen a remarkable 66 percent decline in street homelessness since 2005 and 40 percent in the last year alone,” Department of Homeless Services press secretary Heather J. Janik said later. “In large part, this decrease has been due to key strategies such as stabilization beds. The stabilization bed program in Community Board 14 is small, made up of clients from nearby neighborhoods. DHS strives to be a good neighbor and work with the community while also remaining focused on housing our most vulnerable New Yorkers in need.”
Residents living near the East 12th Street building say they have already experienced problems with their new neighbors, including drunkenness, attempted automobile break−ins and naked occupants visible through uncovered windows.
Deputy Inspector Ralph Monteforte, commander of the 70th Precinct, said that his cops have seen no increase in crime since the housing program started.
But Judy Rudin of the Department of Homeless Services offered a “mea culpa” on the uncovered windows.
“We didn’t put shades up as quickly as we should have,” Rudin said.
According to New York City Department of Buildings representative Ken Lazar, plans to renovate the old hotel building are now being audited and inspectors have been dispatched to the site.
A spokesperson for the Fire Department said that while many violations at the building have been addressed, he would prefer that no one lived in the building while its alarm system was being worked on.
Common Ground says that caseworkers routinely visit the site to evaluate the state of their clients and that a supervisor is on call 24 hours.
Neighbors insist that this isn’t a case of NIMBY −− Not In My Back Yard −− and that they just want to know that the new residence aren’t a threat.
To that end, Community Board 14 is calling on Common Ground to provide a copy of their contract with the city, provide 24−hour on−site supervision, allow police access to the building for vertical patrols, and release some kind of information about their clients.
Community Board 14 Chair Alvin Berk criticized the lack of forewarning about the new Common Ground site, and blamed the Bloomberg administration for a history of failing to be forthright with the community.
