Bensonhurst Residents Fight Proposed Homeless Shelter

BROOKLYN, NY

Larry He, a New York subway employee, started a petition to stop the construction of a homeless shelter in Bensonhurst and he has gathered over 33, 000 signatures. Although he does not live in the neighborhood, he believes that the shelter would disrupt the peaceful and calm neighborhood. On the petition he says, “From my experience working the D’ train line for the past six years, this is is a very quiet, organized & well mannered neighborhood and in my opinion a shelter planted virtually in the heart of it would be incongruous and detrimental to the blocks around both the 25 Ave & Bay Parkway stations.” 

In 2023, the city announced plans to build a homeless shelter for 150 men in Bensonhurst. Construction has not yet begun, but the shelter has been a subject of great debate and has divided the community.  

Vanessa lives in the neighborhood and works at Walgreens. She said that four to five thieves target the store daily, and steal “bags and bags of stuff.” She worries that people who live in the shelter will steal, too. “Just thinking about how they are going to make a homeless shelter makes me think that I am going to lose my job,” she said. “I am not going to have a job because they are going to have to close this place.”

Bensonhurst is a quiet, family-oriented neighborhood where 39% of the population is Asian, primarily Chinese. They feel targeted by the idea of placing a homeless shelter in their neighborhood. They argue that the homeless shelter will bring problems to the community and pose a threat to the schools, businesses, and daycare facilities located near the site of the proposed shelter. 

A woman who gave only her first name, Meiqi, described Bensonhurst as a “peaceful, low-crime, neat, organized Chinese neighborhood.” She said the homeless are “drug addicts and lazy people who don’t want to be helped because they are not going to change their negative behavior.”       

Others shared their frustrations about the city trying to “dump trash” in “peaceful” Chinese  neighborhoods. Another resident who said his name was Davis questioned the city for trying to “house criminals and illegals in Asian neighborhoods.” He said the city does not have “the right to dump trash into our neighborhood.”  A woman named Sunny said, “ADD IT IN BRONX.” 

Residents organized a Facebook group called, “25th Avenue & 86th Street Homeless Shelter” that helps to organize protests and shares the latest updates. The page has devolved into something more nasty. I posted a message asking community members to message me if they were interested in being interviewed. But I was met with harassment from users, including “Ho Tang.”  He seemed to go out of his way to accuse me of being “Towin Tohit”, whom he alleged is a spy for the developer. Despite my efforts to provide evidence of my identity and purpose, I was still met with hostility.

Assembly Member William Colton and Council Member Susan Zhuang, who represent Bensonhurst, have been vocal in their opposition to the proposed shelter, and have even organized protests. At one protest, Council Member Zhuang allegedly bit a police officer and residents gathered to show their support for her during her court appearance. 

Assembly Member Robert Colton, in an interview, criticized the city’s efficiency in dealing with homelessness. He claimed the city is spending $8 billion a year to pay wealthy developers and operators to provide homeless shelters that fail to properly address the problem. “It’s something that diverts money away from the very programs that could help homeless people,” he said.  “You have to be able to get them the services they need, either in terms of mental health treatment or in terms of drug addiction and then you’re in a position to get them into permanent housing.” 

A similar situation unfolded back in 2019 in Glendale, Queens. The Cooper Rapid Rehousing Shelter opened in 2020 and accommodates 200 males. Councilman Robert Holden from District 30 said, in an interview with Harlem View, “Out of exactly five years the shelter has been open, it’s been nothing but trouble, nothing but crime.” He said that about 80 men have been arrested out of the 200 who live there. He believes that the shelter was unnecessary and should not have been built, especially without consulting the local community. 

Although the overwhelming majority of people oppose the homeless shelter, there is a small minority that are less opposed. I spoke with Annie, a healthcare worker who works near the proposed homeless shelter, who asked to remain anonymous out of fear of their employer who opposes the shelter. They said, “I am pretty conflicted about the shelter. On one hand, I support housing initiatives, but I don’t want to see the community being affected by it.” Their choice to remain anonymous about their feelings highlights a bigger issue in the community. Those who do not wholeheartedly oppose the shelter are scared to share their opinions in fear of retaliation from employers or others in the community.

Overall, there is a consensus among residents and politicians alike that the city isn’t doing enough to effectively deal with homelessness. The Bensonhurst community, alongside their representatives, continues to protest against the proposed homeless shelter. Assembly Member Colton is hopeful that the efforts of the residents will not be in vain and will put a stop to the development. He said, “The community is not going to accept this. The protests are not going to stop and they’re going to continue and fight it every bit of the way.”