A state judge ruled on Wednesday that the Mamdani administration can relocate a facility where homeless men seek shelter from Midtown to the East Village.
Supreme Court Judge Sabrina Kraus' decision paves the way for the city to complete the shutdown of the massive homeless men’s shelter in Midtown, known as Bellevue. Mayor Zohran Mamdani ordered Bellevue's closure earlier this year, citing decrepit conditions.
City officials had already moved hundreds of men sleeping inside the 30th Street facility to other shelters, but paused the relocation of intake services after East Village residents sued in April to block the intake services from moving to their neighborhood. The residents argued the plan was rushed and arbitrary, and didn’t undergo adequate environmental reviews.
Kraus dismissed those claims and lifted a temporary restraining order she had previously issued to halt the relocation.
Intake services were supposed to begin at 8 East Third St. on May 1. It’s still not clear when the city will transition intake services for homeless men to that facility. City Hall didn’t immediately comment.
Dave Giffen, executive director of the Coalition for the Homeless, praised the judge’s decision.
“The objections to its use were just another example of the unfortunate NIMBYism that we’ve seen popping up around the city, which is odd given that all New Yorkers are agreed that we don't want to see anyone having to sleep out on the streets,” he said.
Local residents said even though the city was relocating intake services to an existing men’s shelter, the nature of the services would be different and include a more transient population creating a burden for the neighborhood. The men’s intake center in Midtown serves about 80 men a day who come to ask for a shelter bed.
The Mamdani administration announced it was closing Bellevue, which was built in 1931 and could house as many as 850 men, because of its aging conditions. Previous mayors have tried to shutter the facility but backed off the plans.
Former First Deputy Mayor Randy Mastro, who represented the East Village residents, didn’t respond to a call for comment. Residents involved in the lawsuit didn’t immediately comment either.
The East Village location served as the city’s intake facility 40 years ago and is currently undergoing construction to ensure the building is in compliance with the Americans With Disabilities Act, and is accessible to all homeless men.
