Residents in the Highbridge neighborhood of the Bronx are angry after officials unilaterally converted a shelter for homeless families into a facility housing only men. Similar to concerns from UWS residents yesterday, Highbridge locals say that the new influx of homeless people are making their neighborhood much more dangerous. "They're out here at all hours of the night, creeping around and you don't know what they're going to do. They're always either smoking, drinking or looking in someone's window," said Rhodesia Jones. But what if there's a Ted Williams lurking amongst that crowd?
The Department of Homeless Services says the facility is perfectly safe, staffed with DHS officers and security guards, and down the block from the NYPD's Bronx Task Force headquarters. "There's been a decrease in the number of families in the system and we have a greater need for a single adult shelter," said Barbara Brancaccio, deputy DHS commissioner. But residents seem more angry that they weren't consulted about the change, arguing that the neighborhood already has eight other homeless shelters. "Yes, we want to look out for these people, but how can a community move forward when you're constantly pushing us back with these type of facilities. We're livid," said José Rodriguez, district manager for Community Board 4.
In brighter news, the New York City Council announced that they had come to an agreement with Mayor Bloomberg to restore $35 million in proposed budget cuts that would have halved the funding for street outreach and drop-in centers for runaway and homeless LGBTQ youths.
