CBS2 Exclusive: Is State Secretly Bringing Homeless Shelter To East New York?
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Almost everyone agrees that something has to be done about the homelessness problem in New York City, but is the state trying to sneak a homeless shelter into one Brooklyn community without telling residents?
As CBS2's Brian Conybeare reported Thursday, CBS2 News this week got an exclusive look inside one of the buildings currently being cleaned out and rehabbed at the state-owned Brooklyn Developmental Center, which shut down in December.
Sources confirmed the state is quietly planning to put hundreds of homeless housing units on the 35-acre campus at 888 Fountain Ave. in East New York, Brooklyn.
Contractors' vans have been on the side for weeks. Workers inside the buildings have been redoing bathroom fixtures, while bedrooms are being cleaned up with space for two beds.
Walls are also being repaired, and a fresh coat of paint is being applied to make abandoned buildings livable.
And while the work goes on behind the tall stone wall around the complex, neighbors told CBS2 they had no idea this site could be used to house the homeless It is causing some concern.
"It depends on what type of homeless people you're dealing with," said neighbor Tina Lanier.
Lanier lives across the street and has a 9-year-old daughter.
"It's very close to my daughter. She plays out here, and her safety… it's definitely a concern," Lanier said.
Other neighbors were split on whether the shelter would be a welcome new neighbor.
"I'm just nervous about, you know, the crime going up in this area," said neighbor Fatimah Abdul-Wahab.
"If it has a wall around it, its fine; I mean, it's secure," said neighbor Julani Bloomfield.
Sources told CBS2 the New York State Office of General Services used emergency contracts to get the work done as soon as possible.
That is not sitting well with state Assemblyman Charles Barron (D-Brooklyn), who represents East New York.
"For the state not to inform us on this is unacceptable," Barron said.
Office of General Services Communications Director Heather Groll released a statement reading: "The administration is exploring the possibility of using underutilized state facilities for various purposes, but no decision has been made about the BDC (Brooklyn Developmental Center) campus."
Barron said he did not buy the claim.
"I don't believe that you start construction on something and then figure out what you're going to put there later," he said. "That makes zero sense to me -- zero!"
CBS2 has also confirmed the total amount for the emergency contracts at the site is $1.8 million.
Assemblyman Barron said he was hoping for economic development that would provide local jobs, or possibly affordable housing on the campus. He plans to reveal more about it all at a news conference on Friday.
