Pearson, the corporation that scores the citywide Gifted and Talented tests for children entering kindergarten, recently made a mistake in the grading process that led to certain students being qualified for the Gifted and Talented programs when they should not have, and vice versa, impacting 146 students citywide. Pearson has apologized, and students took the test all over again.

But this is not the first time that Pearson, which has only been grading the city’s tests for a few years, has flubbed. In fact, this is the fourth time this year that New York City students were on the receiving end of scoring errors. The first error incorrectly calculated students’ ages, and the second and third errors resulted in incorrect score conversion tables.

Last year, they had to remove a certain reading passage from an eighth grade reading test where the moral of the story was “pineapples don’t have sleeves.” This nonsensical passage was the subject of ridicule. Following this latest passage, Pearson had reportedly launched an investigation to determine the cause of the error.

“There’s no excuse for the scoring errors made on the assessments used to determine eligibility for the New York City Gifted and Talented programs,” said Scott Smith, the president of learning assessment at Pearson. “We have already begun to implement the multiple program changes requested by the New York City Department of Education, and Pearson is taking all necessary measures to ensure this doesn’t happen again.”

Each time Pearson has made a mistake, the Department of Education has reportedly docked them a certain percentage off their paycheck.

But the Upper West Side community is concerned that this is not enough. Ann Binstock, the parent coordinator of P.S. 87, who has a child in fourth grade, said that if it could happen to kindergarten students, it could happen in any grade.

“Parents of fourth graders are going to be spending next fall applying to middle school, they need to know that the test scores will be accurate,” said Binstock. “It makes even the most calm rational parent nervous.”

The Department of Education is considering other options following this latest error.
“This failure to complete the basic quality assurance checks Pearson confirmed that they had completed is deeply disturbing,” said School Chancellor Walcott. “For this reason, the Department of Education is reviewing a variety of options including terminating Pearson’s contract.”

Noah Gotbaum, candidate for City Council in District 6, said that it’s too little, too late on the part of the Department of Education. He said that parents, teachers and students in his district are already worried about passing the mountains of tests, but now they don’t even know if these tests will be accurate. He said that Pearson’s contract should have been terminated after the first or even second mistake.

“Where’s the accountability? How many chances are they going to get? The whole testing regime is a disaster,” said Gotbaum. “We should not be contracting out work to private companies with no accountability. It’s all about money. They’re turning our schools into casinos.”

As a result of the latest scoring error with Pearson and the re-assessment, more students now qualify to be considered for Gifted and Talented programs. In fact, after the re-assessment, 82 more students who had not previously qualified for G&T now qualify. The problem with this, said Gotbaum, is that many of these high-scoring children, who would have normally been placed into Gifted and Talented programs, will not be because of a shortage of seats.

One of the other issues that parents on the Upper West Side and citywide have had with Pearson is that they do not have to release their test scores. In fact, Binstock had to contact Senator Brad Hoylman’s office to get Pearson to release the test scores. In the past, said Gotbaum, the previous company before Pearson had always released scores and questions following the exam. Now, said Binstock, parents are going to have to wait six months to even know how their child was assessed.

“All we know is parents is we’ve been reading the news on this and you can’t help but be nervous about our kids tested on this material and then you read that it hasn’t been scored properly,” she said. “It doesn’t instill confidence in our school system.”

Last week, local seniors and representatives from West Side senior centers, programs, Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities, the Department for the Aging, the NY Academy of Medicine and GrowNYC’s Greenmarkets staff came together on the Upper West Side to learn about the Grow Green Age Well program that brings fresh produce to local seniors. The program began in 2012 and just celebrated its first successful year with plans to expand to more city programs.
The program began after City Councilmember Gale Brewer heard from constituents that some residents were not able to benefit from the city’s greenmarkets.

“As Community Supported Agriculture programs and farmers markets have spread throughout the city, we heard from older Westsiders that they were being left out – especially those on fixed incomes and those who live alone,” said Brewer. “So we decided to do something about this and test something new. And we had tremendous success.”

“During the summertime, we seniors crave freshness but it gets harder for seniors to walk to the local farmer’s market,” said Martha Weisberg, a senior Food Bag participant. “It was actually exciting to pick up my first wonderful bag of fresh produce – and, for eight dollars, I received a late summer bounty. To me, making such a wonderful program so accessible and affordable is community action at its finest.”

The Food Bag Program matches local farmers with local seniors through GrowNYC’s Greenmarket Co. wholesale program which provides customized produce delivery to senior centers, food banks, and Meals-on-Wheels. For its first year, the Program served senior centers and organizations in the Upper West Side district.

“We’re identifying the Program’s successes, recommending ways to improve, and releasing the results of a user survey,” said Brewer. Together with Age-friendly NYC, Brewer plans to share the Food Bag model with other communities interested in improving access to fresh, affordable food for older adults.

Seniors received a bag of fresh local produce with approximately six different fruit and vegetable items for just eight dollars. A free Produce Guide showed how to store the food, what farms it came from, and offered recipes for raw and cooked preparation.

Unlike a typical Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program where members pay in advance for a season, seniors paid only by the week, and only for the weeks they opted to participate.

At season’s end, seniors filled out a survey asking for their thoughts. The response was overwhelmingly positive: 91 percent indicated they would return for year two, and over 80 percent rated the quality and quantity of the produce as good or great. Among their suggestions for improvement, seniors wanted more microwave-friendly recipes, and easier sign-up for those with mobility challenges.

By Sherry Kerabin

It’s no secret that the Upper West Side has been changing for years, with new condominiums being built and high-end businesses setting up shop along the avenues.

So when a longtime convenience store on Broadway between 86th and 85th streets shut its doors in February many were not surprised.

The store, which had been operating at the location since the ‘70s, sold items ranging from candy and other snack foods to newspapers, magazines and lottery tickets.

Amour de Hair opened in the same space in the middle of May, offering a wide variety of hair and makeup services seven days a week. The owner, Pino Zekry, established the company in 1995 and has three other locations in the city, all on the East Side. Zekry did not respond to requests to be interviewed about his latest endeavor.

“Frankly I would rather have seen an ethnic food store take its place,” said local resident Paul. “I am glad a bank didn’t go in there. Banks are replacing too many of the stores that go out of business.”

Michael Fox, owner of Jeffrey Stein Salon at 2345 Broadway, directly across the street from the former convenience store, said the price of rent makes it difficult for any mom-and-pop business to stay viable.

“Leases generally last ten years and when they are up you have to decide if it is worth paying more to continue at the location,” said Fox who has been operating out of the same space for about 13 years.

“The convenience store was not only competing against the bigger chains but there is a newspaper kiosk right on the corner that was selling a lot of the same stuff.”

Fox said it was not located on the busiest side of Broadway either.

“It is my understanding that the west side of Broadway generates the most foot traffic which is why a lot of longtime retailers like Fairway and Citarella opt to be on the west side.”

Although the owners of the convenience store have moved away, several sources said poor money management and high rent led to the closing.

Andrew Albert, executive director of the West Manhattan Chamber of Commerce, said although many small businesses are having a hard time competing with the larger chains, convenience stores are not a dying breed yet.

“There are still quite a few left in the area,” said Albert. “There are two that I know of in the upper ‘70s, and whenever I walk by they seem to be busy.”

“The reason that a business closes is not always that black and white,” he continued. “People always assume it is rising rents, but sometimes the owners move away or are offered money to leave.”

That said the owner of the 86th Street Convenience Store on Amsterdam Avenue admits he has been struggling to make ends meet for a long time.

“Ever since the CVS and the Key Food opened it has been hard,” said Ahamed Sajjad, who started the operation over 20 years ago.

“Those stores carry everything that I have except lottery tickets.A lot of months I break even or lose money but I’m still trying.”
Sajjad said he has seen his business increase somewhere between 25 and 30 percent since the store on Broadway closed.

“I was expecting a lot more,” he said. “I thought I would see at least 50 percent more business.”

He said his business might not be around if he had not been able to negotiate with his landlord to obtain a “more reasonable rate” when his lease expired.

“The rents in this area are just too,” said Sajjad.
Last fall, Tasti D-Lite owner Vernoica Zubiaga decided not to renew the lease at their 86th Street and Broadway location, instead moving to 85th and Amsterdam, where they opened on March 23rd.

“We were paying $17,000 a month and the landlord wanted $20,000,” said Zubiaga. “In our new location, we have more space and there is a big difference in rent.

“A lot of businesses that used to be on Broadway are moving to Amsterdam for the same reasons we did,” said Zubiaga.

By Laura Shanahan

It’s unique! It’s a boutique! It’s the – what else? – Unique Boutique, a family owned-and-operated thrift store, located for your shopping convenience at 487 Columbus Ave., near 84th Street, and at 1674 Third Ave., near 94th.

Unique Boutique Thrift Shop
n 487 Columbus Ave.; Phone (212) 362-8877
n 1674 Third Ave; Phone (212) 427-0077
What’s special? Everything! A kaleidoscopically changing selection of steal-priced goods for your home and person, from all your favorite eras up to the present

Talk about opportunities for serendipitous browsing: “We’re putting out new things every day,” says Zachary Hassan, the exceptionally genial manager of the Columbus Avenue shop. “So come often – you never know what you’ll find.”
Since everything stocked, from home accessories to clothing, jewelry, books and more, comes from auctions, wholesalers, estate sales and donations from viewers like you – oops, sorry, I just channeled Channel 13 there for a moment – almost everything is one-of-a-kind, right?

Not “almost everything,” Zachary pointed out – “everything.” What about those half-dozen or so identical-looking glasses over there? “They’re just one set,” Zachary again correctly pointed out. (I would like him even if his somewhat uncommon name wasn’t my father’s middle moniker and even if we hadn’t had great fun noting all the famous Zacharys past and present.)

Ah, the donations. If you finished your spring cleaning and would like to divest yourself of your unwanted items, bring ’em on in at either location, and get a tax receipt in return.

Now then, here is a representative sampling of what you can expect to find. First – emit a high-pitched scream if you also love miniatures – a set of teeny-tiny glass mugs, complete with teeny-tiny handles. They’re the kind beer might come in, except these are – oh, great, the one set of items I didn’t measure – but I’m estimating just under 2-inches high. You can use them as wee shot glasses, or for cordials or perhaps as the new unit of measurement for the legal purchase of soda in the city. (Ho-ho, I actually support anything that may limit obesity and disease – call me crazy.) Pay just $8.99 for a set of four of these pebble-textured glasses in varying shades of rose and peach.

Is it a vase? Is it a very narrow liqueur glass? Pay just $8.99 again for this 8-inch tall very slender plum-colored column of glass, finely etched with a floral pattern – and it’s your call.

While the glassware and other small household items are especially intriguing, do not overlook the selection of books; $1 for paperbacks and $2 for hardcover. In the former category, I found such bestsellers as The Lovely Bones and Three Cups of Tea; but there are also more obscure tomes, which make for fascinating rifling.

Going from the cerebral to the skimpy, I spotted an almost illegally short stonewashed denim skirt by Tractor in size 10 that (whew!) turned out to be short-shorts trimmed with the most girly eyelet-trimmed pink ruffles; $8.99. A sleeveless white tank in size XL is banded across the chest with blue and purple stripes and reads “Gap Surf”; $2.99. Glam it up with a stretch bracelet of outsize faceted “turquoise” stones for $3.

Find lots of blue jeans for either gender, plus a good selection of summery men’s shirts. I thought the pallid-yellow cotton short-sleeve Gap shirt was almost too bland and blah until I flipped it around. Elaborately embroidered in black and red was a canoe, of all things, and the words “Est. 1969, Vintage River Canoe Tours, Classic Heritage.” Love it. And for $7.99.
Like Zachary says, come often. If you don’t see something you must have, you’re just not looking.

By David Gibbons

That the financial crisis is over and our economy is in full recovery is old news—at least from the viewpoint of several high-profile real estate insiders, all experts on the downtown market.
“The word ‘recession’ is not even used in the last six to nine months,” said Andrew Barrocas, CEO of MNS, a real estate brokerage firm specializing in residential properties. “We’re far out of that.”

For the fourth quarter of 2012, the MNS report on new development sales showed solid overall gains on a quarterly and yearly basis. While the Upper West Side topped closings (65), two downtown neighborhoods, Battery Park City (48) and Chelsea (46), were strong contenders. All other areas south of 34th Street showed lively activity, with rents still high and sales prices exceeding pre-crisis levels.

“Downtown is mimicking the rest of the market,” said Lori Ordover, CEO/founder of the Ordover Group. “The big issue is a lack of inventory.”

According to The Corcoran Report, total available listings in Manhattan reached their lowest number in more than seven years during the past quarter.

Residential development stalled in the wake of the collapse of Lehman Brothers (September, 2008); significant numbers of new properties are not expected to crop up for several years.

“It’s a very tight market,” said Gary Malin, president of Citi Habitats, a leader in NYC sales and rentals.

The crux of the matter is liquidity: Larger institutions, such as banks involved in real estate, have been slower to rebound and remain cautious about lending. The purse strings are still tight, both for developers seeking to obtain financing and potential buyers hoping to secure mortgages. The days of huge luxury condo towers selling out to eager buyers based on nothing more than a floor plan, a virtual tour and a dream are over. Nevertheless, the brokers are optimistic.

“The overall big picture for downtown Manhattan is very positive,” said Ariel Cohen, exclusive agent for 75 Wall Street, a 346-unit luxury condo high-rise on the market since 2009. Given his stake in the area, Cohen is understandably bullish.

“Lower Manhattan has been an ongoing, emerging category since 2004,” he said. “Chelsea and Tribeca have already emerged. Battery Park City is a very mature market. Now, in the Financial District, we are heavily emerging.”

“I live in Tribeca, and every day I get seven or eight postcards from brokers saying, ‘I could sell your apartment.’ I know that, but I don’t want to move,” Ordover said. “I love living downtown. I think it’s the most vibrant part of the city.”

Cohen said that sales at 75 Wall Street picked up “dramatically” in the second quarter of 2012; the building is now more than to 60 percent sold. At an average of $1,220 per square foot, its remaining units compare well: “A husband will call me and say, ‘My wife wants to live in Tribeca, but please tell me what you have in the Financial District.’” Even on the fringes of Tribeca, Cohen points out, prices are in the $2,000 range. Both Barrocas and Malin agree, comparing the Financial District favorably to Greenwich Village for value—and adding the Lower East Side.

Another strong indicator for downtown is its preponderance of first-time buyers and young families, many from other parts of Manhattan. Ordover marvels at the stroller gridlock on West Broadway and stiff competition for exercycles at her favorite spinning class. “They’re starting to call the Financial District the Diaper District,” Cohen joked. “Our buyers run a big gamut,” he said. “It’s not just your Wall Street-driven clientele.” Both note many positive signs for the community, including good new schools opening; Condé Nast’s impending move to the new World Trade Center tower; and plans for a downtown performing arts center.

For “affordable” new development downtown—i.e., in the range of $1,500 to $2,000 per square foot—Barrocas looks east from the Bowery to the river. “Obviously, the development process takes time,” he said. “Two, three, four years out, I can only predict numbers being stronger than they are today.” He noted the Seward Park Mixed-Use Development Project for nine city-owned lots along Delancey Street, approved last September, as a potential game-changer in the area.

On Foursquare, most people recommend the chocolate chip walnut cookies at Levain, which is known for its big gooey cookies. Bouchon, meanwhile, is more of a French lunch and pastry spot, known for its unusual flavors of macarons—like peanut butter and jelly.

FURRY FRIENDS FOR SALE!
This February, bring home a puppy or kitten without breaking the bank. Bideawee, the pet welfare center located on East 38th Street at First Avenue, will be holding a monthlong “Name your own price” sale. The sale is in celebration of Valentine’s Day, and is Bideawee’s first adoption promotion this year! Plus, if you think your brand-new pet is super photogenic, Bideawee will be taking photos of each new adoption, and putting them up for a public vote. The winner will have their pet featured as Bideawee’s Facebook timeline image. This promotion will run until Feb. 28.

DOT ANNOUNCES NEW SAFETY PROCEDURES FOR DELIVERY BIKES
The DOT announced recently that they have teamed up with Delivery.com to provide 1,500 commercial cyclists with free bike lights, bells and retro-reflective vests. Delivery cyclists from all over the city can attend one of the multi-language commercial bicyclist forums held all over the city to receive the safety equipment.

Other bicycle safety efforts include NYPD enforcement and inspector visits to businesses that use delivery cyclists. These inspectors serve to both inform and oversee the legal regulations such businesses are required to follow.

DOT Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan notes, “Safety is everyone’s business, so it’s significant when the private sector steps up to the plate to make efforts in the public interest.”
Jed Kleckner, CEO of Delivery.com, is one of many who share in this sentiment. “In a city where food, groceries and wine can be at your doorstep in moments,” he said, “we empower the neighborhood economy by equipping our merchant partners with the right tools for making safe and speedy deliveries.”

Revised administrative procedures regarding bike safety will be enforced starting this April.

FURNITURE FROM COLUMBUS EXHIBIT UP FOR SALE

Remember the living room that was perched atop the statue at Columbus Circle? Now you can own a part of the former exhibit, “Tatzu Nishi: Discovering Columbus” which closed in December. Art Space is selling the furniture that completed the look of the “living room above Columbus Circle.” Much of the furniture has been gobbled up by art collectors (or people who really need a couch). But a $1,500 MG + BW chair is still available, as well as a $2,700 Samsung 48” TV, and several other items. And members of Art Space get a discount that slashes prices in half. According to Art Space, while it was still on display, the artwork drew more than 100,000 visitors from over 30 countries around the world.

ST. THOMAS CHURCH
1 W. 53rd St.
Visit St. Thomas Church on Dec. 16 at 1 p.m. to see the annual Christmas pageant, put on by the Youth Group and Sunday School. The play is A New York Carol by Lucky Gold; admission is free and everyone is welcome.

TEMPLE EMANU-EL
1 E. 65th St.
A tradition at Temple Emanu-El is attending the lighting of candles during Chanukah. Starting on the night of Dec. 8 and going through Dec. 15, you can attend the lighting of the last candle at 4:30 p.m. on Dec. 15.

ALL SOULS UNITARIAN CHURCH
1157 Lexington Ave.
Enjoy unique Christmas music when All Souls Unitarian Church hosts the concert “Creator of the Stars: Christmas Music from the Old World,” on Dec. 18 at 7:30 p.m. The music will be joyful hymns and chants that can transport listeners to the Renaissance. Tickets are on sale and can be purchased on their website at www.allsoulsnyc.org

CHURCH OF ST. JEAN BAPTISTE
184 E. 76th St.
After the weekly 10:30 a.m. and 12 p.m. masses on Sunday, Dec. 16, the Church of Saint Jean Baptiste will be hosting a Christmas Brunch for everyone who attended.

CHURCH OF ST. AGNES
143 E. 43rd St.
Get ready to sing on Dec. 19 at 6 p.m., when the Church of St. Agnes hosts its annual hourlong sing-along, which will feature Advent and Christmas songs and hymns with Schola Cantorum and the Parish Choir.

ST. PATRICK’S CATHEDRAL
460 Madison Ave.
Another Christmas tradition is the annual “A City Singing at Christmas” on Dec. 20 at 7 p.m. Listen or sing along to classic and modern Christmas songs and hymns with the St. Patrick’s Cathedral Choir, the Young People’s Chorus of New York City, New York Master Chorale and New York Symphonic Brass. General seating is free and open to the public.

ST. BART’S
325 Park Ave.
Head over to St. Bart’s Church for a night of singing Christmas songs outside and drinking hot cider, on Dec. 17 starting at 5:30 p.m. Another special event that St. Bart’s is holding is the Adoration of the Magi, which takes place Dec. 21 at 7:30 p.m. in the chapel.

LINCOLN SQUARE SYNAGOGUE
200 Amsterdam Ave.
The Lincoln Square Synagogue is holding a Chanukah Dinner on Dec. 14 and people can enjoy great food and desserts and listen to guest speaker Dr. Yoram Hazony. Then on Dec. 15 there will be a Chanukah Party for the youths of the community. Starting at 4:15 p.m., children can enjoy music, cookie decorating, applesauce making, latkes, dreidel making and menorah lighting.

ST. CATHERINE OF SIENA
411 E. 68th St.
Be a part of some joyous singing on Dec. 15 at 7 p.m. when you visit St. Catherine of Siena. The annual candlelight and sing-along service is always a tradition in the community.

ST. IGNATIUS LOYOLA PARISH
980 Park Ave.
Visit St. Ignatius on Dec. 16, and see their annual Christmas concert, “Gloria!” People can enjoy some Christmas classics, such as “O Holy Night” and “Bambino.” The main presentation is John Rutter’s “Gloria,” which includes a brassy and extroverted masterwork.

HOLY CROSS CHURCH
329 W. 42nd St.
On Dec. 16 at 7 p.m., Holy Cross will be hosting its annual Christmas concert, and the proceeds raised will go to benefit the victims of Hurricane Sandy. This year the concert features renowned American soprano Aprile Millo. Tickets can be purchased at www.holycrossnyc.com
MADISON AVENUE
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
921 Madison Ave.
In the weeks leading up to Christmas, numerous events are being held at Madison Avenue Presbyterian Church. Carol singing takes place Dec. 16 at 4 p.m., and features the New York City Chorus. Rev. Dr. Fred Anderson will give a special sermon Dec. 23 at 11:15 a.m.

ST. FRANCIS DE SALES
ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH
135 E. 96th St.
Celebrate the season with their hourlong Christmas concert that includes sounds of the season on Dec. 18 at 7 p.m. Right after the concert, there will be a reception and a “surprise” visit by St. Nick.

CHURCH OF THE ASCENSION
221 W. 107th St.
After every mass on Dec. 16, downstairs in the church there will be breakfast with Santa. Children will have a fun-filled morning when they meet with Santa and take pictures with him.

CHURCH OF THE TRANSFIGURATION
1 E. 29th St.
Celebrate a baroque Christmas at the Church of the Transfiguration on Dec. 14 at 7:30 p.m. With a selection of Christmas hymns and carols sung and performed by the Choir of Men and Boys, Girls, Camerata and Early Instrument Chamber Ensemble. Tickets are $25 for adults; $15 for students and seniors.

IMMANUEL LUTHERAN CHURCH
122 E. 88th St.
Ever wonder what Christmas is like in different countries? Immanuel Lutheran Church will be hosting a concert Dec. 16 at 11 a.m., featuring the children’s choir performing Christmas songs from numerous countries. After the performance there will be an international buffet, and people are encouraged to bring their own cultural dishes.

CHURCH OF THE EPIPHANY
1393 York Ave.
Enjoy a morning of lessons and carols on Dec. 16 at 11 a.m., with the Church of the Epiphany. Throughout the morning, attendees will be doing readings, prayers and listening to seasonal music sung by the Cherub Choir and Epiphany Choir.

The cleanup begins at the South Street Seaport. Photo by Aaron Adler.

Want to help out with the hurricane relief effort but not sure how? Below are links to volunteer opportunities around the city as well as places accepting donations of blankets, batteries and nonperishable items. You can also consider donating money or blood at redcrossblood.org.

• List of blood drives in NYC
• JCorps Volunteering Lower Manhattan
• Help Stuyvesant Cove Park rebuild this weekend 
• Donate or volunteer at a NYC soup kitchen 
• Places to help out in Brooklyn

Harlem:

• Residence 47 St Nicholas Avenue, #4D between 112 and 113 (volunteering & donation)
• 938 St Nicholas Avenue, #25 corner of 157th and St Nicholas Avenue (volunteering & donation)

Downtown/Lower East Side:

• Community Access (donate & contact online for information)
• Lower East Side Recovers (check website for information)
• CAAAV 46 Hester Street, Frnt A 212-473-6485 (drop-off for food, water, batteries, clothing)
• The Bowery Mission 45-51 Avenue D, 212-777-3424  (drop-off for food, water, batteries, clothing)

Upper East Side:

• Rockaway Relief 85th & 2nd Ave at Molly Pitcher’s bar (accepting a variety of donations)

Upper West Side:

• Brandeis High School on West 84th Street (overnight volunteers)
• BJ Synagoguge 88th Street Sanctuary at 257 West 88th Street, Thursday from 7:30 a.m. to 8 p.m (donations of bottled water, non-perishable kosher food, toiletries, batteries, radios and blankets)
• BJ Office at 2109 Broadway, Thursday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. or Friday from 9 a.m. to noon (donations of bottled water, non-perishable kosher food, toiletries, batteries, radios and blankets)

—Compiled by Alissa Fleck

Photo by iheartfishtown, courtesy of Flickr Creative Commons.

When the Department of Homeless Services (DHS) announced in July that it would soon move 200 homeless families into two residential West 95th Street Buildings, community members, elected officials and Community Board 7 (CB7) objected. The buildings were designed as single room occupancy units for low income residents, they argued, and were not equipped to provide treatment for the homeless’ large population of addicts and the mentally ill.

Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, City Council Member Gale Brewer, Assembly member Linda Rosenthal and Community Board 7 chair Mark Diller sent a letter to DHS Commissioner Seth Diamond at the time asking him to suspend efforts to place the homeless families in the two buildings, 316 and 330 West 95th Street.

Yesterday, DHS decided not to listen. The Department moved 10 of the families into the former building, with plans to add the remaining 190 – a total of over 400 new residents – to both buildings over the next few months, according to Diamond.

“We’re absolutely furious about it,” one of the buildings’ 71 existing residents told New York Post. “No one was told anything at all.”

Now, Stringer, Brewer and Rosenthal are joining with State Senator Adriano Espaillat, Community Board 7 and Upper West Side residents in calling on DHS again to suspend immediately all efforts to refer clients to the buildings.

“[T]he proposal to house 200 adults, who are currently homeless, in 100 tiny rooms at 316 and 330 West 95 Street on a temporary basis is poor planning, poor policy, and includes little if any transparency,” said Brewer in a statement. “The process should have included a substantive planning discussion with Community Board 7, elected officials, current residents of the two buildings, and responsible neighborhood leaders to find a solution to the need for shelter for homeless individuals.”

Stringer agreed. “New Yorkers understand that all neighborhoods share in the responsibility to provide housing to those in need,” he said in a statement. “But abruptly moving a 400-person shelter into a residential neighborhood in the dead of summer with no community consultation, no contract and no long-term plan only creates bad will and sets back the cause of fighting homelessness.”

“By failing to conduct a dialogue with the community and the elected officials who represent it,” said Rosenthal, “DHS and its former commissioner Robert Hess have disrespected thoroughly this neighborhood.”