Bronx migrant shelter set to open inside former Manhattan College dorm
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BRONX - A new migrant shelter is set to open this month inside a former dorm at Manhattan College in the Bronx.
Lawmakers and residents in the area say they received little to no information at all from the city regarding the plan.
STATEN ISLAND, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 28: Neighborhood residents, joined by anti-migrant activists, hold an 8th demonstration and rally to protest the city housing migrants at a closed Catholic school, St. John Villa Academy, September 28, 2023, in the
Bronx Councilmember Eric Dinowitz says NYC Mayor Eric Adams told him that the Riverdale shelter on West 238th Street would officially be opening.
Apparently, the shelter will be run by WestHab, an affordable housing developer.
Officials said that furniture would be moved in by Wednesday Aug. 31.
"The administration has failed at this task in the past," Dinowitz said in a statement on X. He says that although he disagrees with the decision, he feels that the operation should be handled with great care.
Dinowitz says he's seen migrant shelters in his district with mold growing on the walls and reports of vermin.
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Residents are also worried about how this will affect the neighborhood.
"We should prioritize the construction and renovation of housing over shelters," Dinowitz says, and that instead, the Adams administration has chosen to incentivize the use of shelters.
In another statement on X, Dinowitz said that WestHab would work with the Department of Education to help enroll school-aged children in the appropriate school.
According to the councilman, WestHab will mainly handle security matters and is not outsourced to another company.
There will be a director of social services, case managers and aides on site as well.
Demonstrators at a rally protesting the opening of a temporary shelter for asylum seekers in the Staten Island borough of New York, US, on Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2023. New York City recently opened a temporary shelter to house 300 migrants at St. John Vil
The former off-campus housing will host 95 families, including children, according to City Hall.
Dinowitz says he plans to work with the mayor's office and the residents of his district to ensure migrants receive the support they need.