For decades, men experiencing homelessness across the city have been told to come to one place, the Bellevue building on East 30th Street.
It’s the city’s main intake point for single adult men seeking shelter.
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The Mamdani administration says the nearly century-old facility will close by the end of April because of severe deterioration inside the building.
According to officials, about 250 men staying at the shelter will be relocated as the city shifts intake services to East 3rd Street in Manhattan May 1
City officials say residents will begin moving to other shelters in mid-March ahead of the facility’s closure at the end of April
Now the Mamdani administration says the nearly century-old facility will close by the end of April because of severe deterioration inside the building.
“They gave us papers last week saying we were going to shelter in Brooklyn,” David Donhan, who lives at the shelter, said.
Some residents say they learned about the closure only recently, through word of mouth.
“There’s no information. We have no information,” Khray Long, who lives at the shelter, said.
According to the city, that communication is coming, including keeping staff at the Bellevue location for a year after closure.
About 250 men staying at the shelter will be relocated as the city shifts intake services to East 3rd Street in Manhattan.
“It’s going to require a massive public information campaign to make sure that people go to the right place and don’t end up on the street trying to find an access point,” Josh Goldfein, a staff attorney for Legal Aid Society, said.
Along with outreach, advocates say location matters.
“It’s so important for the city to maintain a shelter intake point in Manhattan where the most people are,” Goldfein said.
Some neighbors, though, say the shelter has long brought safety concerns.
“Everybody in the building is happy. Everyone who saw the news is happy,” neighboring building manager Anthonio Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez shared surveillance video with NY1 of men confronting staff at the front desk.
“I was jumped about seven times. My doorman was jumped. He had 18 stitches,” he said.
Residents will begin moving to other shelters in mid-March ahead of the facility’s closure at the end of April, according to city officials. But for men currently staying there, the transition means another move, and more uncertainty about what comes next.
The Mamdani administration says its focus is to open several new shelters, and this closure was a necessary step.