September 13–19, 2019 Brooklyn Paper • www.BrooklynPaper.com • (718) 260-2500 AWP 3
Cost of compassion
Massive price discrepancy in Gowanus, Slope shelters
ent population — in this case,
families versus adults — security
concerns, and the cost of
renting property in Park Slope
as opposed to Gowanus.
However, the greater part
of funding for the Fourth Avenue
shelters— roughly $6,000
on average per unit — is not
earmarked for rent, but will
go directly to Women in Need
to provide security and social
services. That figure is
roughly twice what the shelter
operator requires to manage
another family shelter in
Brownsville, according to a
Gothamist report .
The push to build homeless
housing in the area is part of
the city’s “Turning the Tide
on Homelessness” initiative,
which calls for shelters to be
more-evenly spread out across
New York — rather than clustered
in low-income areas, as
they had historically been.
Councilman Brad Lander
(D—Park Slope) pointed to
the lack of shelter density in
the area as evidence the neighborhood
should be welcoming
of more facilities.
“There’s 60,000 shelter
beds in New York City, and
59 community boards. So, if
we were spreading them out
fairly, that’d be about 1,000
shelter beds in every community
board,” he said. “We’ve
historically only had about
100.”
11 am to 6 pm 44TH ST-59TH ST
SUNSET PARK 5TH AVENUE STREET FESTIVAL
SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 15TH , 2019
SPECIAL ATTRACTIONS
Free Live Music at 54th and 44th street stages
Games and Amusements
Vendors, Food, Bargains
Hula Hoop Contest
Community Organizaons
FDNY Smoke House
UNLIMITED
Bounce Houses
MTA Vintage Bus
Bookmobile
NYS Loery
Kids’ Acvies
TALK, TEXT & DATA
$45/MO
TAXES & FEES INCLUDED
1-844-977-7328 | SpectrumMobile.com
Spectrum Internet subscription required. Valid on select devices compatible with the Spectrum Mobile network. Devices must
be unlocked prior to activation. Visit SpectrumMobile.com/BYOD to check compatibility and confi rm your device is unlocked.
Restrictions apply. ©2019 Charter Communications. All rights reserved.
By Aidan Graham
Brooklyn Paper
A new homeless shelter
coming to Gowanus in November
will cost taxpayers
roughly half per unit as two
massive shelters slated to open
in nearby Park Slope the following
month.
The new facility will occupy
a recently constructed
building on Third Avenue
near Sixth Street originally
planned as a hotel, where
operator Praxis Housing
will provide refuge for 116
adults in 58 two-person units,
according to the Department
of Homeless Services.
The Gowanus facility will
provide around-the-clock security,
feature a 10 p.m. curfew,
and offer an on-site outdoor
space for smoking and
recreation, according to a
Praxis rep.
City housing honchos have
budgeted nearly $32 million
over nine years for the Gowanus
shelter, which includes
both the cost of rent and social
services. That budget
— which equals slightly
more than $5,100 per unit,
per month — represents a
worst-case estimate, and the
real amount will be lowered
after the deal is finalized in
the coming weeks, according
to a department spokeswoman.
Even with the artificially
inflated number, the price for
Google Maps
The city is planning to open a new homeless shelter
in Gowanus, which will serve 116 displaced adults.
the Third Avenue shelter is
substantially lower than two
soon-to-open Fourth Avenue
shelters — located at 535 and
555 Fourth avenues in Park
Slope, and featuring a combined
253 housing units for
families — which will cost
taxpayers an average of more
than $10,000 per unit, according
to city data .
The Park Slope shelters
— which will be run by nonprofit
Women In Need — have
drawn fierce opposition from
locals outraged by the skyhigh
price tag.
Matthew Borden, Assistant
Commissioner of Government
Affairs and External Relations
at Department of Homeless
Services, declined to answer
questions regarding how the
Third Avenue shelter’s $32
million price tag was calculated,
and refused to explain
the massive price disparity between
the Gowanus Shelter
and its Fourth Avenue counterparts
at a Sept. 4 community
meeting about the shelters,
citing ongoing contract
negotiations.
Homeless Services spokesman
Isaac McGinn similarly
refused to provide specifics
regarding the agency’s deals
with Women in Need and
Praxis, saying neither contract
has been finalized.
McGinn did, however,
describe certain factors that
can influence shelter costs,
including differences in cli-
Footing the bill
5k raises funds for ovarian cancer
By Aidan Graham
Brooklyn Paper
Hundreds of Brooklynites
donned blue-green getups for
the Teal Walk and Run fundraiser
to support ovarian cancer
research and survivors in
Prospect Park on Sept. 7.
The even organized by nonprofit
Teal saw more than More
than 1,600 cancer-fighting dogooders
jolt through Brooklyn’s
backyard for the 5k jaunt
around the park’s interior —
helping to raise nearly $140,000
at this year’s procession.
“It was amazing. It was
beautiful. There was so
much energy there, and people
were so passionately supporting
this cause.” said survivor
Jennifer Garam.
Runner pose in their superhero getup as they prepare
to fight ovarian cancer at the Teal Walk and
Run at Prospect Park on Sept. 7.
Photo by Trey Pentecost
/SpectrumMobile.com
/www.BrooklynPaper.com
/www.BrooklynPaper.com
/BYOD