Angry Residents Vent Over Problem-Plagued Women’s Shelter on UWS

Locals are complaining that the former Calhoun School building on West 74th St., which was turned into a women’s homeless shelter, has brought an influx of problems to the once quiet residential block.

In fact, the issues arising at this shelter are unlike any other, and in consideration for the safety of both the community and shelter residents, a Community Action Board was created.

UWS City council member Gale Brewer–who had urged the Adams administration to turn the building into an affordable housing complex instead of a women’s shelter before it opened–said she has received a constant barrage of complaints since it opened last year. “I don’t get these kinds of complaints from any other shelters,” she said.

Residents outside complain about noise, petty larceny, and occasionally violence. Brewer points out it is not just neighbors of the shelter who are blasting the operation. Women who are housed inside have reached out to her office to complain about conditions as well.

“In this case, numerous residents of 160 West 74th Street report poor conditions, inadequate staffing, and an unsafe environment,” wrote Brewer.

She began receiving complaints about the way the building is being operated almost from the day the 146-bed capacity shelter opened. “I have a lot of complaints,” Brewer told The Spirit. On February 5th, she had a Zoom meeting with members of Volunteers of America, which operates the building, as well as the Department of Homeless Services, where there were promises made of a working hotline, as well as thicker curtains for the windows, “The whole building is lit up,” commented Brewer.

In an attempt to address this long list of concerns, Gale Brewer sent a letter to Commissioner of Human Services Molly Park, who was replaced by Erin Dalton at the end of February, with a long list of problems she said are plaguing this particular shelter.

“Their social services cases are stalled, and they lack proper guidance to secure stable housing, including City FHEPS applications. Residents shared issues with shelter staff managing their daily needs, particularly those of women with disabilities and mental health challenges. There has been physical violence inside, which has extended outside on sidewalks and the lobbies of neighboring residential.”

The conclusion of the letter presented the suggestion for a Community Action Board to be formed, “as soon as possible,” wrote Brewer. Since then, the CAB has held their first meeting, where residents, the Department of Housing, and members from Volunteers of America focused attention on the problems at the Calhoun house.

The Spirit reached out to Commissioner Dalton but has not heard back.

Brewer is requesting that a street space be designated for police and fire to prevent street blockages. She mentioned that when the police and ambulances come, it results in a closure of the street. The bus that transports the women to the shelter is operated by the DHS and has claimed that it can only drop off the women in the evening. This has caused disruptions nearly every evening for the residents living nearby.

There have been no advancements on this request, according to Brewer.

The building has been the center of controversy almost from the moment the Calhoun school decided to put its early childhood school on the market while continuing to operate its other school on 325 West 85th Street.

The school was initially sold to Bayrock Capitol for $14 million in 2023, and the developer announced plans to turn the six-story building into luxury apartments.

But a few months after buying it, Bayrock instead flipped it in a $26.4 million deal to the real estate firm Apex Investments, which unveiled plans to lease it to the city of New York to turn it into a women’s homeless shelter.

Local residents, who organized themselves under the name Friends of the UWS 74, sent a letter to then-mayor Eric Adams and to the then-school chancellor, David C. Banks, urging the building be converted into a public school, or a permanent affordable housing.

The $80 million contract with a nonprofit vendor would result in Bayrock most likely receiving lease payments to exceed the $14 million they paid for the building. Volunteers of America signed a $79.6 million contract with the Department of Social Services to provide on-site services for the women.

The idea behind having a space for women to seek refuge from the streets is positive, but there have been multiple distressing reports from the neighborhood app, Citizen, of a range of quality-of-life crimes at the shelter, from burglary to disturbing the peace to assault.

On Jan. 14, there was a report of a person armed with a weapon. On February 15, there were two reports, one of a woman refusing to pay a taxi cab fare and the other of an assault. The following day, Citizen had a notice that a person’s phone was stolen in the lobby of the shelter. The Spirit reached out to the NYPD, but the police were not able to document the incidents. Gale Brewer has been very upset with the frequency of these reports, “Why is it so consistent to have police and ambulances there?” she said.

“Almost every night, there is some problem,” one resident of the block who did not want to be named told The Spirit. “At 12 a.m., 1 am, 2 a.m., and during the daytime, women are screaming on the sidewalk,” said one resident. Recently, he had been on the street and saw one of the women screaming to herself, so he decided to approach a member of the shelter’s staff. He said a man inside was wearing a Volunteers of America jacket. The resident said he was informed that there are three security guards and thirteen mental health workers on site. However, the resident has not noticed any efforts from these staff members. Although not every incident generates a report on the Citizens app, he said there have been sirens and ambulances at the shelter “daily.” He claims women have been seen exiting the building and throwing pieces of trash on the street, which is causing the sidewalks to be congested with litter.

Some critics say that the UWS, which is considered the more upscale part of the city, is simply trying to get rid of shelter housing for previously homeless women in the midst of an upscale neighborhood.

We contacted Alex Morgan Bell, chair at Community Board 7, but had not heard back by press time.

The resident who complained about the shelter to The Spirit insisted he recognizes the need to house the homeless, but says more security and mental health services are needed due to the shelter’s setting in a quiet residential neighborhood.

Brewer said to West Side Spirit, “It’s not like things have been resolved...the problems are ongoing.”