Homeless Coalition Move Raises Fears

By Ronald Drenger

Little noticed by most Tribecans, the Coalition for the Homeless has maintained its administrative offices and run social service programs at 89 Chambers St. for the last nine years. But the Coalition’s warren of offices and cubicles is cramped. Program directors share small quarters, policy reports overflow shelves and are stacked on the floor, and counselors and clients confer in tight spaces. So the organization plans to move next September to a more spacious five-story building it recently bought at 129 Fulton St. at the corner of Nassau Street.

But some nearby residents are worried. The area, they say, is already congested, and they fear that the Coalition’s clients will be a public nuisance in a neighborhood striving to rebound from Sept. 11. The Alliance for Downtown New York also opposes the move." The Coalition presented its plans at the July meeting of Community Board 1’s Seaport/Civic Center Committee. Paul Hovitz, a resident of nearby Southbridge Towers and a member of CB1, called the move "a disincentive for people thinking about coming back to our community or moving into it." Cheryl Whaley, who lives at 55 Liberty St., agreed. "This is not the right time for this project," she said. "This is a community on the brink." "I’m not unsympathetic to the homeless, and I greatly admire what you people are doing—elsewhere," said Henry Ziegler, a neighbor of Whaley’s.

The committee voted 8-3 to oppose the move. But when the Coalition got a wider hearing before the full community board three weeks later, the audience was more supportive and the resolution was tabled. Landman again spoke forcefully on the Coalition’s behalf and board member Una Perkins charging that the opposition smacked of racism. "These are people who are trying to better themselves," she said of the Coalition’s clients. "You ought to be ashamed of yourselves." The committee will discuss the organization’s move again at its public meeting on Sept. 10 (see Community Calendar), and the Coalition and CB1 intend to create a community advisory board to address concerns. According to the Coalition, 50 to 75 clients a day come to 89 Chambers St. They speak to case

managers, usually in the crisis intervention program, which provides benefits counseling and referrals to people living in city shelters or on the verge of homelessness, or in the eviction prevention program, which gives subsidies to households at risk. Chambers Street residents and business owners who were interviewed said the Coalition has not been a bother. "Initially, I was a little afraid, especially about security, but I haven’t had any problems," said Sharon Hedges, who lives in the building and shares an elevator with the Coalition. "The people who come don’t camp out here." "Sometimes I hear bad language, but I’ve never had a problem with them," said Nancy Badillo, manager of Home to Go, which has rented the ground floor at 89 Chambers St. for the past year and a half. She added that Coalition clients have stopped people who’ve tried to steal from her outdoor bins. Duggan said the community’s concerns did not surprise her. "When people hear the word ‘homeless,’ the word ‘shelter’ is associated with it," she said. "I think when people realized that we’re not creating a 400-bed shelter, many of their worries dissipated."