New York City canceled plans to build a homeless shelter in an empty Chinatown hotel on Monday.
It is the second cancellation in less than a week, as the city recently decided to abandon the “Safe Haven” shelter at 47 Madison St. in Chinatown, NY1 reported.
The proposed locations were in close proximity to where an Asian American woman was murdered in February after an attack by a homeless man. New York Times reports that the shelter’s organized operator, Housing Works, had planned to allow illegal drugs in the building, which drew angered responses from the local residents.
The initial plans were based on Mayor Eric Adams’s efforts to move homeless New Yorkers off the streets, according to the New York Times. However, ongoing pushback from the neighboring residents and local community board resulted in the city abandoning the project.
“After reviewing planned shelter sites scheduled to open in Chinatown, we have decided to re-evaluate this shelter capacity to an area with fewer services and shelter for those experiencing unsheltered homelessness,” the Department of Social Services said in a statement after announcing it had canceled plans to build the first shelter, according to NY1.
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“Our goal is always to work with communities to understand their needs and equitably distribute shelters across all five boroughs to serve our most vulnerable New Yorkers.”
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