The city of New York plans to open a permanent shelter at the former Renwick Hotel on East 40th Street to house 170 homeless families (350+ residents). It would be one of the largest shelters of its type in New York City, and would be in addition to multiple shelters that already exist in and around the neighborhood (both permanent and temporary housing).

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The city did not notify the residents or businesses of the neighborhood of this plan. With only two days advance notice, some residential neighbors learned through the managing agents of their buildings that the public could attend a Zoom meeting of Community Board Six (CB6) on November 16th and submit questions. A video recording of the meeting is here. The minutes of the meeting will be published here in mid-December.) At that meeting, CORE, the company chosen to operate the shelter, touted another shelter in Far Rockaway, a vastly different neighborhood than Murray Hill. CORE plans to put guards at the door of the proposed Renwick shelter to try and control crime, drug use, and loitering in the area.

 

In a related debacle, the city moved residents of the Harmonia Hotel to the Lucerne Hotel. When that neighborhood protested against the crime, drug use, public sex, and other quality-of-life issues that arose, the city announced plans to move those residents to a Radisson Hotel in the Financial District. The homeless are moved like chess pieces, with no data, and no long-term solutions.

 

Grand Central Terminal is dealing with a mounting homeless crisis. (Read here.) With so many shelters currently in the area, Murray Hill cannot handle an irrational, irresponsible, misguided proposal for another shelter, turning the area into the homeless center of Manhattan, at a time when development around Grand Central is intended to make the area a "crown jewel" of the city, drawing tourist attraction. Please go to the "Get Involved" page.