The city Department of Homeless Services will create a Manhattan nightmare in the summer of 2009 when it shuts down its homeless shelter at the former Bellevue Psychiatric Hospital – forcing nearly 600 clients to roam the streets or head to the Brooklyn Armory.
“It could be a disaster,” said Patrick Markee, of the Coalition of the Homeless.
The indigent are being evicted after city officials decided to allow the historic building on First Avenue between 29th and 30th streets to be converted into a luxury hotel – even though the city’s latest homeless count showed Manhattan had more of them than the four other boroughs combined.
Homeless Services Commissioner Robert Hess confidently said permanent housing would be found for most of the soon-to-be homeless, and the others can be absorbed at smaller city shelters. Hess also downplayed the escape-to-Brooklyn scenario by saying, “It’s just not going to happen.”