Hundreds and hundreds of people turned out despite the rain at a rally organized by Assemblyman William Colton (D—Gravesend, Bensonhurst, Bath Beach and Dyker Heights) and City Councilmember-Elect Susan Zhuang to demonstrate their opposition to a planned homeless shelter at 86^th Street and 25^th Avenue on Sunday, December 3.

The crowd listened to Assemblyman Colton and Councilmember-Elect Zhuang discuss the proposal, and why it’s bad for both the community and the homeless people who would be housed there, before marching as a group down 86^th Street, signs held aloft and umbrellas unfurled, chanting “No homeless shelter.”

The shelter, planned for 2501 86^th Street, would enrich the developer and the organization that would run it at the expense of taxpayers, Assemblyman Colton contended, without providing lasting benefit to the people it is supposed to serve. “This doesn’t help homeless people, but it does hurt the neighborhood.”

“It’s a terrible location for a shelter,” Assemblyman Colton contended, “in a main business district surrounded by residential areas, and near churches, mosques and schools.”

Assemblyman Colton said the city spends some $8 billion a year on homeless shelters, “Yet there are more homeless people, not fewer.”

“That’s money that could be spent on permanent housing,” Assemblyman Colton said. Instead of enriching developers and operators, he contended, “The city should spend the money on repairing empty NYCHA apartments so that there is permanent housing for people who have become homeless. By opposing this shelter, we are helping homeless people.”

According to Assemblyman Colton, the city has said it intends to house over 100 single males, many with mental health histories, at the site.

Councilmember-elect Zhuang pointed out that, “Homeless facilities provide temporary shelter and few support services to residents.” In addition, she said, a study by the city’s Independent Budget Office indicated, “Many shelters were closed during the day, leaving residents with no place to stay other than in the streets.”

Instead of shelters, Zhuang said, “We should focus on long-term strategies that provide sustainable housing options, access to education and job opportunities, and comprehensive support systems.”

The developer for the shelter is Tejpal Sandhu of 86^th Street NY LLC, who Assemblyman Colton stressed, was the developer behind the shelter originally planned for 2147 Bath Avenue, which was defeated by community opposition spearheaded by Assemblyman Colton. Sandhu paid $4.8 million for the site.

“This company makes its money by building hotels which the city then makes into homeless shelters,” Assemblyman Colton said. By doing this, he added, the city “Is creating an incentive to have more homeless people. No neighborhood should accept it, because it’s wrong.”

Assemblyman Colton’s staff collected 100 pages of signatures on a petition opposing the shelter from people who attended the rally; in addition, an online petition grew from 2,000 to 3,000 signatures between Saturday and Sunday.

“It was an amazing turnout,” said Assemblyman Colton. “The crowd just kept growing and growing, even in the rain.”