The city will slash the capacity of an Upper West Side homeless shelter in half by November after area residents fought to have the facility shut down completely, The Post has learned.
The Department of Homeless Services will decrease the number of homeless adult families living at Freedom House on West 95th Street from 400 to 200 after reaching an agreement with Upper West Side leaders, according to the city Comptroller’s Office.
City Comptroller Scott Stringer, who along with Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer negotiated the arrangement, credited the de Blasio administration for making the deal, but said the city “needs a long-term plan” to address homelessness.
In 2012, Bronx-based shelter operator Aguila, which runs Freedom House, was awarded a five-year, $47 million contract, causing neighbors to lash out.
An Upper West Side neighborhood group sued the city and Aguila in August 2013, calling for them to close Freedom House, arguing that it was a blight on the area already oversaturated with shelters, according to several reports. But the state Supreme Court dismissed that complaint last month.
Under the new agreement, at least 100 units in the building will be designated for affordable housing for low- and moderate-income New Yorkers — improving conditions for existing residents, city comptroller aides said.