WPCNR THE HOMELESS NEWS. By John F. Bailey. December 19, 2005: A spokesman for the Mayor’s Office, David Maloney, this morning told the CitizeNetReporter that Westchester County never told  the city their plans to house 43 "hardcore homeless" persons at 85 Court Street across Court Street from the County Office Building,  beginning January 10.

The Department of Communications  of Westchester County said the Court Street location and the monitoring of the homeless population destined for that location was discussed between the Westchester County Department of Public Safety and the White Plains Department of Public Safety as to safety and monitoring issues, and said the White Plains Department of Public Safety informed the Mayor’s Office. The White Plains Department of Public Safety has not responded yet to my call to confirm this.

 Spokesperson David Maloney said Mayor Joseph Delfino, who was in Florida last week, would be making a lot of phone calls today on the Court Street Homeless Location situation. File Photo by WPCNR News.

Mr. Maloney said the city is exploring avenues, (“leaving no stone unturned,” were his words),  to prevent the population of “hard core homeless,”  from taking up residence nightly at 85 Court, just one and a half blocks from the city’s reviving downtown.

City Concerned

Maloney reaffirmed the city position that the homeless planned to be housed in that shelter are not all from White Plains, as the county contends,  that they are all from all over, and should not be housed overnight within the city.

Victoria Hochman the county spokesperson on this issue told WPCNR that the persons are picked up in White Plains and that it made sense to have them stay overnight near the new Day Center for the Homeless being established at 96 East Post Road to be run by Grace Church Community Services.

That Day Center at 96 East Post Road for the Homeless to stay during the day has not yet been approved by the Common Council, and was tabled at the last work session, where it was pleaded to be a consent agenda item. The Common Council scheduled a public hearing on the 96 East Post Road Shelter for the January Common Council meeting. 

  The homeless who now spend the night at the airport shelter that Hochman described as a horrible, dilapidated place, are returned to White Plains mornings at 6 A.M., where they are expected to avail themselves of county services, but rarely do. 

No other Location in City Discussed?

Hochman did not know if any other location such as New York Presbyterian Hospital, or White Plains Hospital Center, (NYPH being a facility which specializes among other fields in the mentally ill), were contacted by the county as a possible overnight location.

Asked why the airport shelter population was not housed in the new Valhalla Homeless Shelter opened last week, Hochman said because the airport population were “hardcore homeless” who have refused to participate in programs available to the system such as drug rehabilitation programs, alcohol rehab programs, job training programs, counseling, and therefore did not fit in with the homeless population destined for the Valhalla Shelter who do take advantage of county services.

No Official Named as Responsible.

Hochman was asked who in county government had decided the airport shelter homeless should be overnighted in White Plains in the center of downtown. The “hardcore homeless” as the county calls them have been bused to the airport for decades. Hochman said she did not know whose decision it was, but speculated it was made by the Department of Social Services over the last few months.

Operations of 85 Court

As to operations of the 85 Court Street shelter, Hochman reports that homeless persons in White Plains seeking a bed for the night would still be expected to assemble at South Lexington and Maple Avenues, where they would be put on a bus and bused one block to 85 Court Street where their names would be taken and she believes they are checked to see whether or not they are previous convicted “sex offenders and possibly a criminal record.”

In order to stay the night in 85 Court Street, Hochman said the homeless would have to agree to be locked in, (as they are at the airport facility) put under security, and would not be allowed to leave. In the morning, they would be bused over to the new Day Center for the Homeless at 96 East Post Road where Grace Church Community Services would give them shower facilities, counseling, and give them a place to stay during the day. Hochman said they would not be forced to stay there.

Hochman said the homeless may stay past the present 6 A.M. “reveille” time when they are turned out of the airport center and put on buses back to White Plains or other areas where they come from, and that she thought it would be closer to the time when the Grace Day Center for the Homeless would open.

Hochman, told WPCNR the 85 Court facility would only house 43 persons maximum. Asked if there ever was an overflow, Hochman theorized, but could not say for certain, that the overflow would find other facilities around the county to take them in.

Records of the Hardcore Homeless

Asked if the county could check its manifests of persons taken at nightly bus pickups who routinely stay in the County Airport Shelter, Hochman did not know if those manifests were available or used to develop a profile of typical hardcore homeless populations in more detail as to how many had criminal records, how many were drug or alcohol addicted, and other various afflictions. She did not give a figure on how many were picked up nightly. She said the population changed nightly.

Nevertheless, the homeless population to be at 85 Court were described by Ms. Hochman as the vast majority being possibly mentally ill, some developmentally disabled, some drug-addicted, and with criminal  backgrounds from being housed overnight (from 10 P.M to sometime after 6 A.M.) in the heart of the White Plains downtown.

The Runup

Hochman reported to WPCNR that the Westchester County Department  of Public Safety had discussed the safety concerns and issues concerning locating the homeless at 85 Court Street with the White Plains Department of Public Safety, and that the White Plains Department of Public Safety had told the Mayor’s Office about it. She did not know when the Mayor’s office was notified by the Department of Public Safety. Martin Gleeson, media spokesman for the White Plains Department of Public Safety has been contacted for the Department of Public Safety side of this communication question.

County Legislator Bill Ryan contacted Saturday and again today by WPCNR as to whether he  knew about the county plan, has yet to respond.

Thomas Roach, President of the White Plains Common Council had no comment, because he did not know of the situation as of Saturday morning when WPCNR contacted him. “We’ll have to see how it plays out,” Roach said.

Cappelli Enterprises, which is constructing a 4-Star Hotel and condoplex a block and a half away from 85 Court Street has yet to respond with their reaction to the news.