Cuomo plan to shelter homeless at Creedmoor nixed, senior official says
Laura Nahmias of Politico reports that Gov. Cuomo’s administration has dropped a proposal to convert some vacant buildings at the former Creedmoor Psychiatric Center in Queens into shelters for the homeless.
The Creedmoor idea, first reported by the New York Post a little more than a week ago, was among the plans Cuomo was considering as part of a larger initiative to address New York City’s growing homeless crisis.
Some of the buildings are used by nonprofit mental health and homeless services groups that contract with the state to provide services to a few hundred homeless and mentally ill individuals. Other buildings stand empty.
The idea to convert Creedmoore drew immediate criticism from homeless advocates and mental health providers who raised security concerns. Many homeless people complain the city’s shelters are not safe and are rife with crime and sexual assaults. Advocates also expressed concern the plan would effectively lead to warehousing large numbers of homeless individuals in a single place, contrary to prevailing strategies for how best to house them.
Even if Creedmoor is off the table, Cuomo may be considering other state-owned properties to house the homeless.
He has has convened a number of meetings at his office in Midtown Manhattan, Ralph Fasano represented ACL, to solicit feedback from homeless advocates and others on what the state can do to address the problem. Sources familiar with the discussions said the governor and his top aides want to develop a plan that can be implemented quickly.
Sources said Cuomo asked homeless advocates with whom he met earlier this month to visit several of the state’s psychiatric centers, including Creedmoor, Wards Island and Brooklyn Psychiatric Center to assess the sites’ viability for use as shelters or safe havens.
An administration official declined to comment on whether the governor was considering any of those other sites.
“The Governor’s staff has been holding meetings with dozens of homeless experts and providers to better understand the homeless problem in the city,” spokeswoman Dani Lever said in an emailed statement. “During those meetings, experts and providers have suggested different facility needs and possible shelter locations. However, no determinations have been made at this time.”