Concerns raised about NYC's plan to close homeless shelter at Radisson Hotel in Manhattan
NEW YORK -- Hundreds of homeless New Yorkers are trying to figure out where they will go next, as the city plans to shut down a Manhattan shelter.
As CBS2's Ali Bauman reported Monday, the mayor is investing in homeless services, but advocates argue it's a drop in the bucket.
The old Radisson Hotel in the Financial District is not home, but for Stuart Smith and about 200 homeless New Yorkers it's a safe place to rest their heads.
"I'm just here because I don't want to be on the streets," Smith said.
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Smith and other residents were placed in single rooms as an alternative to traditional congregate shelters.
"I caught COVID in the shelter. Then they had to send me to another hotel. Then the doctors tell them I'm not supposed to be around a lot of people," Smith said.
"I have COPD and asthma. I caught COVID in the shelter system," homeless New Yorker Douglass Harris said.
Now, the city's Department of Homeless Services is planning to shut the shelter down in June.
"I'm lost. I'm lost for words. I couldn't tell you what I'm gonna do," Smith said.
"I don't understand how they're gonna close down this many hotel shelters and put people back in congregate living with 20 guys in a room, when the uptick of the COVID virus is starting to increase now," Harris added.
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Over the weekend, Mayor Eric Adams announced a $171 million investment per year in homeless services.
His plan puts the money toward stabilization beds, safe havens and drop-in centers for unhoused New Yorkers.
"We're making sure that we have safe spaces for New Yorkers to live, to heal ... to heal ... and to be cared for," Adams said.
Homeless advocates are criticizing the mayor's plan for lacking any real permanent housing options.
Smith does not want to be in a shelter, but said he cannot find a landlord who will accept his housing voucher.
"I hear what the mayor's saying, but talk in cheap," Smith said. "It's whoever will take the vouchers we got. So far, nobody will take them."
The Department of Homeless Services told CBS2 it will work on connecting residents with permanent housing, and those who cannot find housing will be placed in shelters that meet their needs.
In a statement, the organization Coalition for the Homeless said, "We strongly encourage the city to open more capacity in the form of single-occupancy hotel rooms in Manhattan to accommodate the needs of homeless individuals with disabilities."
