A new emergency shelter will open this spring in an old factory building at 130 3rd Street near the Gowanus canal, which will house up to 400 asylum seekers—single adult men. The site will be operated by the Department of Homeless Services (DHS) and managed day-to-day by a contracted nonprofit provider, BHRAGS Home Care, Corp.
To establish Emergency Shelter sites falls under the exclusive purview of the Mayor’s Office and is not subject to any public approval process. As the City confronts an unprecedented shortage of shelter beds, denying or delaying these 400 beds in Gowanus would only contribute to more individuals being unhoused on the streets. Despite having access to public transit and a robust social service network, our District has significantly fewer shelters compared to the city average according to the District’s council member Hanif.
