Department of Homeless Services adopts a new policy mandating that a homeless shelter provider must first contact the local community board before setting up shop.
In the end, it was a half-victory.
A Manhattan judge tossed out a suit by a group of Bronx merchants that would have forced the city to conduct a comprehensive study of a neighborhood before opening a homeless shelter there.
The Westchester Merchants Association argued that the city Department of Homeless Services should conduct a “fair share” analysis of an area to see whether it already was saturated with social services organizations before a homeless shelter could open.
State Supreme Court Justice Geoffrey Wright tossed the lawsuit Friday.
But the merchants did score a victory two weeks ago, when the department adopted new policies mandating that a homeless shelter provider must first contact the local community board before setting up shop. At the time, one Westchester Square merchant called the change in guidelines “a partial victory.”
A 38-unit shelter opened Aug. 21 on St. Peter’s Ave., just off the Westchester Square shopping district. The Westchester Square Merchants Association took up a collection among its members and filed suit against the city.
With the current economic crisis, the city is facing unprecedented demand for homeless services. Read more..
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