WPCNR THE HOMELESS NEWS. By John F. Bailey. December 30, 2005 UPDATED WITH GRAPHIC PHOTOS, 9:06 p.m. E.S.T.: Where the "hardcore homeless" will stay in White Plains after January 10 is still at issue going into the New Years Weekend. Persons who attended the meeting with Deputy County Executive Larry Schwartz last week have told WPCNR under condition of anonymity that Mr. Schwartz told the city the homeless are going into 85 Court Street, or if that is not acceptable, the White Plains Business Improvement District should find a place to house the White Plains homeless who gather each night to be driven to the airport shelter, or the county can simply stop the homeless service all together if the city does not want the County's help.
In a further development, sources who were at that meeting say privately to WPCNR that the Department of Social Services is not too pleased either at housing the "hardcore homeless" in their office basement.
The Mayor of White Plains today issued a letter to Mr. Schwartz stating the city's position and a solution and defending the city's record in handling the homeless population. It notes the new day center to be opened by Grace Community Services in a storefront (between two bars) at 96 East Post Road will serve only 7 persons at any one time. The Mayor is directing Executive Officer Paul Wood to meet with Mr. Schwartz next week, calling the county proposal "ludicrous" and "secretive." The Mayor also accuses a media outlet of not reporting his position fairly. Photo of the Mayor, WPCNR News Archive.
Here is The Mayor's Letter to Mr. Schwartz, photographs provided by WPCNR News:
December 30, 2005
Mr. Lawrence S. Schwartz,
Deputy County Executive
County of Westchester
148 Martine Avenue
White Plains, NY 10601
Dear Larry,
I am writing regarding your decision to move the homeless drop-in shelter from the County airport to 85 Court Street in downtown White Plains and the subsequent press reports generated by that decision including an editorial which appeared in the Journal News on December 27 entitled “We’re All Ears – Got a better plan for the homeless in White Plains?”
I believe that we do have a better plan, and although it’s been expressed to the media covering this matter, it’s been largely ignored in favor of more sexy sound bites and sensationalistic headlines. To clarify it for you, I have said all along that the airport facility should remain open (no clear reason has ever been provided as to why it needs to be closed) until a comprehensive plan can be established that addresses the needs of this population and shares the burden equitably throughout all municipalities in the County.
The current population sheltered in this facility do not all come from White Plains – a fact you acknowledged during your meeting with the White Plains Business Improvement District recently, and I feel it is a big mistake, and an unfair burden, to move them into downtown White Plains. I expressed similar concerns regarding the County practice of bussing them into the downtown following the murder of Connie Russo, whose family’s world did fall apart, when she died at the hands of a resident of this facility. White Plains cannot be a dumping ground for this population of the homeless simply because the County doesn’t know what else to do with them. It’s not fair to the homeless and it’s not fair to the 53,000 residents and more than 250,000 visitors of our City daily.
The 85 Court Street Proposed Location (White Building-also home to the Department of Social Services) for the Hardcore Homeless is next to Mulino's Restaurant. Photo, WPCNR News Archive.
Day-time Drop-In Facility Location (96 East Post Road) is next to 'Los Amigos" Bar and a liquor store, slightly to left of the white van. Photo, WPCNR News Archive.
Until now, the reasons given for the choice of 85 Court Street have been ludicrous. This population, the “hardcore homeless” as you have dubbed them, refuse to comply with regulations and refuse services. We need to move them closer to services they refuse anyway? In addition, the day-time drop-in facility that will be opened by Grace Church on Post Road, which has been cited as another good reason to move them here, has a capacity to serve seven clients potentially leaving 36 homeless residents out in the cold. Also, since these are the “hardcore homeless,” are we to believe that they will gather at a point one block away from where they will be taken by bus? Despite your denials, and in light of these questions and the secretive nature in which this plan was derived, I can only conclude that this decision was made for political purposes.
This type of knee-jerk policy making which leaves White Plains now burdened with this issue is unacceptable. Despite the County administration’s warnings that people will freeze or sleep in boxes throughout our City, I know this will not be the case. This isn’t a question of what to do with White Plains’ homeless population, this is about where to house the people who refuse to take medication, accept counseling or follow such simple requirements as providing a name to shelter workers.
If it were about the White Plains homeless population, I can tell you that we already do an outstanding job. Despite press portrayals to the contrary, I have been a tireless advocate for providing services to the homeless population. I voted for the Coachman, the homeless residence on the Post Road, when I served as County Legislator and I continue my support for this 400 bed facility to this day. I advocated and supported SHORE, Westhab and other programs designed to care for the homeless. White Plains has more than 500 beds devoted to the County’s homeless population in our downtown. This includes 400 families at the Coachman, a women’s center at Grace Church and a shelter at Open Arms. The City has almost 14% of the County’s total stock of beds for the homeless. Yet, the permanent population of the City is a little over 5% of the County’s population. No one will freeze on our streets. Our public safety employees have always seen to that. Anyone without shelter is transported to one of these facilities whenever they are found on our streets at night. I would also ask what services and facilities Yonkers, New Rochelle and Mount Vernon (the three largest cities in the County) and the other 40 some-odd municipalities provide.
I believe White Plains is doing more than its fair share to aid the County in their mission to care for the homeless. Despite this, I have asked my executive officer, Paul Wood, to meet with you once you have established a clear and comprehensive plan to service the needs of this population of the homeless and to share the burden equitably throughout the County.
Ideally, in the future, it is my hope that the County Executive would convene a meeting with Mayors, Supervisors and other municipal decision makers to discuss how to ensure an equitable solution to this issue.
Sincerely,
Joseph, M. Delfino, Mayor
Cc: Ron Patafio, The Journal News Editorial Board
Rick Ammirato, White Plains Downtown Business Improvement District
Keith Eddings, The Journal News
