Residents Demand Low-Income Housing After Homeless Services Leaves

west 107th street residents met with department of homeless services commissioner robert hess april 8 to discuss the shelter on their block. though hess spent much of the meeting explaining how the shelter will affect the neighborhood until the department pulls out dec. 1, residents focused their discussion on the building being converted into affordable housing after that date.

in the basement of ascension church, a few doors from the homeless shelter on 237 w. 107th st., residents expressed interest in seeing the building-previously used for single room occupancy (sro) units, then as an illegal hostel-return to housing for low-income new yorkers.

"we really want a positive outcome beyond this particular annex being closed," said elizabeth bergreen, who has lived on the block for five years. "there's a real need in manhattan valley to provide low-income housing for seniors."

under the ownership of mark hersh, who has other sro hostels throughout the west side, the building operated as the west side inn. residents were angry when hersh-who has a [history](http://www.villagevoice.com/2006-06-27/nyc-life/mark-hersh/) of intimidating and harassing his sro tenants out of his apartments-started [receiving city money](http://nypress.com2010/02/23/hostel-takeover-violations-landlord-questions-on-w-107th-st/) to house homeless women in need of transitional housing. in february, the department of homeless services was set to turn the temporary situation into a full-time 135-bed shelter with a nine-year contract when they discovered that owner was hersh. the department seemed to not be aware of the building owner's identity.

"it became clear in the original proposal we received that the owner of the building was misrepresented," hess told the crowd of several dozen. hess refused to elaborate on the details of how the owner was misrepresented.

the nine-year contract was scuttled, but the transitional housing for up to 80 women [will be in operation](http://nypress.com2010/03/03/emergency-homeless-shelter-plan-on-hold/) until december with nonprofit help usa providing services

local residents expressed concern that hersh, the building owner, not be held responsible for security and building maintenance because of his history.

but hess said he took the "unusual step" of beefing up finance to help usa's contract so that the nonprofit can take over security and maintenance.

"[help usa] will not only provide services on site, but provide their own security on staff and do repairs on the building," hess said.

there will be 13 people on security staff responsible for the interior of the building, plus cameras. the security will also walk the perimeter of the building and contact police if necessary.

residents seemed pleased with the department of homeless services' changes to this shelter. john duffell, the pastor at church of the ascension, lauded hess for addressing the community's concerns prior to the meeting.

"what we've asked for, we received, in terms of security and help usa being a provider," duffell said. "we'll make it through until november."

but residents constantly returned to the question of what to do with the building after november.

"the block has come up over the last 30 years," exclaimed evelyn lanoix, who has lived on the block for more than 30 years. "penalize [hersh] so we can get better low-income housing."

though the department of homeless services has no jurisdiction over the building's future, hess said that he would set up a meeting with administration officials and neighborhood leaders.

hersh [told](http://nypress.com2010/03/10/hersh-%e2%80%98disgusted%e2%80%99-with-sro-biz-and-moving-on/) the west side spirit that he is "disgusted" with the sro business and plans to move to florida.

should hersh make good on his word, he could sell the sro to a nonprofit, which could receive help from city programs to turn the building into low-income housing, according to stephan russo, executive director of goddard riverside community center.

"it's difficult," russo told the crowd, "but not impossible to wrest an sro from an owner and turn it into affordable housing."

correction made.