Sheepshead Bay residents have staged a sit-in in makeshift tents in protest against an incoming family homeless shelter. The protesting residents have occupied Coyle Street for the past five weeks to prevent the construction set to conclude in 2027, according to the New York Post,
The protesters told the paper they wanted to ensure that the city and Westhab, a developer working on the shelter, followed due process.
“Westhab hired construction companies to come and demolish the buildings, and they came at like crazy hours. One time they came at 6:00am,” Benjamin Louie, a resident and organizer said to the publication. “So I thought that of the idea, ‘Why don’t we just stake out the whole night to prevent them from coming?’ We basically blocked the doors. We’re taking up space," he said.
The sit-in followed attempts to block construction workers from accessing the site. However, the company was able to continue work on site after obtaining a court order.
Residents' grievances include a potential spike in crime despite assurance from city officials that the shelter would house families. They accused the city officials of making a u-turn on their promise to build affordable housing on the site, a plan that fell flat in 2023 after the original developer abandoned the project before Westhab took over, the paper said.
A Westhab company spokesperson told the publication they were unaware of earlier plans to build affordable housing units.
“The level of protest here, for the first permanent shelter in the community which will house parents and children in an attractive new building, is truly unfortunate and is not representative of the neighborly spirit of New Yorkers. We look forward to building a first-rate building and operating a quality program which we hope will change the views of those in the community who are objecting,” the spokesperson said.
A spokepserson for the city Department of Social Services told the Post the shelter aimed to eradicate a long standing citywide crisis of homelessness. They pledged the city's commitment to working closely with concerned locals to ease their grievances.
“Homelessness affects every neighborhood in New York City, and in order to effectively address this citywide crisis, we need every community to do its part to support our neighbors in need. This new shelter for families with children – which will be the first long-term shelter of any kind in this council district – will provide vulnerable families with a safe and dignified place to stay as they transition back to permanent housing,” a spokesperson said, adding that the agency hopes “that residents will come to recognize the importance of this facility and ultimately afford these families the respect and compassion they deserve.”
