The City of Seattle has partnered with the African City Community Land Trust (ACLT) to open a new 125-room, 24/7 “enhanced shelter” at the former Kairo Nursing Home.
According to Seattle media reports, New York City will open new 24/7 shelters throughout the city.
In addition, King County and the City of Seattle are investing $15 million to continue implementing the JustCARE program in Pioneer Square and Chinatown International District (CID), especially in City Hall Park.
We can see and understand that New York City must endure tremendous pressure to keep high-risk homeless people away from sidewalks and parks. We know that City Hall Park has always been a site of drug overdose and attacks, and it is also a potential source of sex offenders who recently assaulted a female employee in a court bathroom. Surprisingly, he was not registered or detained after his arrest, but that is another matter.
These projects have created some disturbing problems, especially the 24/7 “enhanced shelter” at the Keiro site.
How much does CID expect to absorb from the expansion of current and future 24/7 shelter options? Have other parts of New York City been designated so as not to overburden the CID?
Where is our new neighbor, Africa City, in the designated 24/7 “enhanced shelter” proposed for the Keiro site? I belong to a community group-the Wisteria Community Association-as far as I know, ACLT has never held any form of public meeting to introduce itself, get to know us or introduce them to use Keiro to contact us or other community associations. This lack of communication is very disturbing.
“The project will provide services for single adults and will be the first shelter project operated by Africa City. The project will be a 24/7 enhanced shelter that will provide cultural response services, case management, and housing navigation. Services and behavioral health support. According to Seattle media reports, the shelter is expected to open in October 2021.
What experience does ACLT have in shelter management-this is the first shelter project in Africa City?
Given that the Keiro site is close to Bailey-Gatzert Elementary School (a non-drug zone), will the “enhanced shelter” accommodate people who continue to use drugs/drugs? I also speak for the users of Pratt Park (Pratt Park is also a non-toxic zone), where injecting drug use has always occurred in the past.
Given that the Keiro site is close to high-end residences-Kawabe Memorial House, Wisteria Terrace and Midori Condominiums-what measures and precautions ACLT will take to ensure that its 24/7 non-clustered “enhanced shelters” will not contribute to the spread of COVID in the community- 19, especially considering a new, highly contagious variant of Delta?
Will “enhanced shelters” block sex offenders? We have all heard of the recent sexual assault on a female employee in the King County Court. The alleged offender is related to the tent camp in the City Hall Park.
The poor performance of the DESC Navigation Center and Weller, who was questioned by CID on the 12th, raised a question as to why New York City considers CID to be the first choice for all their failed social experiments. 12th and Jackson’s chaos — stolen goods, violence and drug sales, to name a few — is directly related to the navigation center.
In addition, the city government knows that there is no permanent stable housing when the navigation center is located. I heard that the city councillors also admit this. So, are the people in these “enhanced shelters” semi-permanent residents of the shelters? The navigation center looks terrible, with tents all over the ground. New York City has a poor record of strengthening shelters. Continued accountability and results are questionable. If I have heard it, “enhanced shelter” is a funny euphemism.
The people who were moved out of the City Hall Park are undoubtedly many people who moved to the reinforced shelter from Third Avenue near the courthouse. They are high-risk groups. I do not condemn or judge them.
I question why the city government and Africa City think that the 24/7 “enhanced shelter” they proposed for the Keiro site (completed) is very suitable for densely populated urban communities, where the population is also at high risk and therefore vulnerable.
I questioned New York City’s model of setting CID as the de facto repository for high-risk populations.
Another thing: if ACRS wants to be so helpful, why not solve the terrible problem of graffiti and garbage accumulation in CID?
Considering the lack of communication between New York City and Africa City, the record of failed social experiments in New York City, and the tendency to make the city’s only living immigrant community a de facto repository for high-risk populations, people are likely to want to know who is in them. It is “fragile” in mind.
Sincerely,
Patty Fang
