Community Protests as Homeless People Building Shops in Yeung Tau Wan Plan to Start Construction Today

The city government is planning to transform a plot of land on the Bay Parkway and 2134 Coyle Street in Brooklyn’s Bensonhurst neighborhood from an affordable housing project into a homeless shelter, sparking strong opposition from local residents. According to the latest information, developers plan to enter neighboring residents’ backyards on Monday morning to erect scaffolding and barriers. If they are refused, they will take legal action against the residents for breaching the agreement. In response, a large number of residents held an emergency meeting yesterday, with Committee Member Chen Lina of the 15th Community Council urging people to gather on Monday morning to stop the developers’ actions.

The city’s plan involves building the area’s first long-term homeless shelter at 2134 Coyle Street, providing 175 family units. However, the site was originally designated for affordable housing projects four years ago. In 2022, the City Council approved the site for a mixed-use development project, including 119 residential units and ground-floor retail space. However, the original developer abandoned the project the following year, and it was later handed over to the non-profit transitional housing organization Westhab to become a homeless shelter.

In July 2023, the city government wrote to local council member Mercedes Narcisse to notify her of this change, but Narcisse did not relay this information to the community. During last week’s protest rally, she criticized the city government for not seeking community input, skipping public review processes, and accused the change of deviating from the original intention by turning affordable housing into a shelter as “dishonest.”

Similar to the situation at 2501 Benson Avenue in Bensonhurst, developers must enter adjacent residents’ backyards to construct large fences for the project, and they need residents’ permission. A neighbor on Coyle Street, Ms. Liang, revealed that the developer had been requesting her to sign agreements since August 2023, claiming at the time that the project was for affordable housing, not a homeless shelter. However, in December of the same year, she was misled into signing the agreement.

On March 13th of this year, Ms. Liang wrote to the developer, refusing the agreement due to false information provided and prohibiting construction workers from entering her backyard. Last Friday, March 21st, the developer sent a lawyer’s letter stating that Ms. Liang had signed a legally binding agreement and warned that if construction was impeded, they would seek a temporary restraining order to protect their construction rights.

The lawyer’s letter emphasized that the residents’ refusal constitutes a breach of the agreement, and the developer reserves all legal recourse. Furthermore, the agreement is only for access permission and is unrelated to the project’s purpose. However, Ms. Liang insisted that she had recorded conversations from that time, there was deception during the signing process, and the agreement should be considered void. She also stressed that any unauthorized entry into her backyard would be deemed illegal.

Yesterday’s rally attracted hundreds of participants, including both Chinese and white residents. Protesters expressed concerns about the proximity of the shelter to daycare centers and early childhood education institutions just a few blocks away, fearing that the homeless shelter would pose a significant threat to community safety.

Dimple Willabus, who is running for city council, launched a petition on change.org last week titled “Reject the Homeless Shelter in Our Community,” which has garnered nearly 1500 signatures as of yesterday. However, there is also a counter-initiative led by Wei Chan, a Chinese resident, calling for the continuation of the shelter project at 2134 Coyle Street, but it has only received support from 27 people so far.

According to reports, Westhab signed a contract worth up to $708.8 million for the project. According to the New York Post, Valerie Smith, the Vice President of Westhab, and Joslyn Carter, the New York City Homeless Services Commissioner, are sisters. Data from the City Comptroller’s Office shows that since Smith joined Westhab in 2017, the organization has received 28 contracts and renewals totaling over $2.5 billion.

Additionally, the city’s Department of Homeless Services allocated $60.1 million to Westhab to construct a 180-bed shelter in Glendale, Queens, with an additional $43 million allocated to extend it until 2028. According to data provided by local council member Robert Holden, the shelter has received 2251 911 emergency calls, 677 other emergency requests, and 278 on-site arrests since it began operating.

The operational model for transitional housing involves private partners raising funds for property purchase and renovation, non-profit organizations providing on-site social services, and local government providing long-term subsidies to support project operations.

Compared to the Benson Avenue project, the progress on the Coyle Street project at 2134 Coyle Street is significantly faster. While the former is still facing resistance from private owners, the latter is dealing with authorized non-profit organizations by the government. 2134 Coyle HDFC has acquired land ownership, serving as both the owner and developer, and is now preparing to launch the homeless shelter project. According to a letter from the New York City Department of Homeless Services to the Department of Buildings in January 2024, the facility is expected to be operational by 2026.

Curtis Sliwa, the founder of the Guardian Angels, accused the homeless shelter project of involving cronyism at the rally yesterday. He called on residents to continue protesting and to follow the successful case of the Bensonhurst Chinatown 86th Street by seeking change through persistent action.

Representative Ray of State Senator Chen Xueli, who represents the 17th District, criticized the city government for corruption and urged the public to be vigilant. Tang Baogang, the Asian Community Liaison Manager for Chen Xueli, emphasized that Chen Xueli and the community residents stand together to oppose the impact of the homeless shelter on community safety and stability.

State Assembly Member Michael Novakhov of Bensonhurst stated that the opposition is not against the homeless but believes that homeless shelters should be located in industrial areas rather than residential areas to minimize the impact on local property prices and quality of life. He pledged to continue advocating for the community’s interests.

Community members urge people to actively participate in the Brooklyn Community Board 15 meeting to be held on Tuesday, March 25th at 7 p.m., to express concerns about the homeless shelter project to the city government. However, it has been reported that the developer has canceled plans to attend the meeting. The meeting location is at 2001 Oriental Boulevard, Faculty Dining Room U112, in Brooklyn.