Gravesend neighbors and politicians want the city to cancel plans to open a homeless shelter in the neighborhood.
Despite the rain on Sunday, Dec. 3, a large crowd of south Brooklyn residents gathered on 86th Street to protest the opening of a 150-bed facility at the corner of 25th Avenue. The facility, which is planned to be operated by Bronx-based VIP Community Services, is being developed by 86th Street NY LLC, and will likely be for single men.
“It’s a terrible location for a shelter,” said Assembly Member William Colton, who organized the rally, in a statement, “In a main business district surrounded by residential areas, and near churches, mosques and schools.”
Colton — along with U.S. Rep. Nicole Malliotakis and Council Member-Elect Susan Zhuang — are among the leading voices of opposition to the shelter. At Sunday’s rally outside 2501 86th St., the pols claimed the shelter would be bad for both the neighborhood and the people who would live at the shelter.
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