A homeless drop-in center that caused Boerum Hill brownstoners to complain of stoop-side drug-use and public defecation has moved seven blocks away to a new, upgraded facility on Tillary Street — right across the street from a police stationhouse.
The move was accompanied by deep sighs of relief among State Street residents, who’ve complained for years about the drop-in center at 39 Bond St.
“Thanks to the almost daily incidents, it reached a stage where we were feeling frightened on our block,” said Tim Walther, the president of the State Street Cathedral Block Association, and the man behind the push to rid Bond Street of the 24-hour center, which offered three meals a day and services ranging from group therapy to assistance getting food stamps.
“A few months ago, we heard someone outside and discovered a man had been defecating under our stoop,” said Walther. “We kept a safe distance and followed him to the drop-in center.”
Earlier this year, Crispin Rover, another State Street resident, testified at an 84th Precinct Community Council meeting that his wife had discovered a man shooting up in their vestibule.
The center, which the Salvation Army operates for the city’s Department of Homeless Services, had been on Bond Street since 1997.
Linda DeBuys, a spokeswoman for the Salvation Army, told The Brooklyn Paper in July that she had only recently heard of community complaints. She added, “The neighborhood has changed over the years.”
But Lt. Gary Williams of the 84th Precinct acknowledged at the Community Council meeting that cops “are there constantly.”
Now, cops at the 84th Precinct will have much easier access to the drop-in center: it sits directly across the street from the Gold Street stationhouse. That said, it’s unclear whether officers will ever cross that street. The other side of Tillary technically falls within the 88th Precinct, whose stationhouse is miles away on Classon Avenue.
