WPCNR The Homeless News. By John F. Bailey. February 5, 2007: Paul Wood, Executive Officer of the City of White Plains , described County Executive Andy Spano’s plan to move the county hardcore homeless shelter to a new $2 Million structure in Hawthorne on the Westchester County Police Headquarters property as failing to address the problem caused by the county dropping the homeless off in White Plains to spend the hours of 6 AM to 10 PM wandering the city, unsupervised.

Paul Wood, Executive Officer, City of White Plains, photographed last week, said today the county plan for building a new shelter solves the location problem for housing the homeless, but did nothing to alleviate the problems of the county dumping the homess back in the city each morning. Photo, WPCNR News Archive.

About 30 Homeless Persons toughing it out in 15 Degree temperature on Quarropas & Dr Martin Luther King Jr Boulevard at the homeless pickup point  in January of 2006  Photo, WPCNR News Archive.

Wood denied allegations by County Legislator Bill Ryan and Assistant to County Executive Spano, Susan Tolchin that the Mayor had “ignored invitations to discuss alternative locations.” Wood cited letters from the Mayor to that effect and repeated Mayor Delfino’s call for a county wide exploration of where to put the homeless not only at night but during the day.

Wood said the county intention to continue  the current policy of busing the new Hawthorne shelter persons back to White Plains does nothing to improve the situation the Mayor has criticized, new shelter or not. Mr. Wood, interviewed by WPCNR said:

I‘ve spoken to the Mayor, and although he believes  this (the newly proposed Hawthorne Shelter)  could be a good first step, it still does not address the underlying issues related to the (85 Court Street) shelter.

Obviously, the problems still remain that the Mayor cited shortly after the Connie Russo slaying. There are  a concentrated number of hardcore homeless they (the county) got throughout the county and probably from throughout the state. They are concentrating them in White Plains from 6 AM to 10 PM with no services.

They talk about Project Trust which was established a year ago, which was a good first step, but it only services 20 people at a time. I don’t think 60 of them are going to stand in line waiting for services.

The fact of the matter is the annoying issues still remain. If they (the homeless)  leave the (new) shelter in the middle of the night in Hawthorne, according to the County Executive, they’ll still be brought to White Plains in the middle of the night and dropped off here. The physical location of where they sleep is all that’s being addressed here.

WPCNR  asked if Mr. Wood hand any information on when the $2 Million shelter would break ground.

Wood expressed annoyance with the way the county communicated the news of the shelter:

The Mayor is extraordinarily disappointed that he had to learn about this through the press and never received a courtesy call from the council or the County Executive’s Office, and had to independently obtain, in fact, the press release which was never sent.

He hopes in the future that the real issue of an equitable solution involving other communities and other mayors and town managers will be addressed.

WPCNR asked if it was true the Mayor had refused to meet with the county on finding alternate locations. Wood denied that, “I sent copies of letters to you and the Journal News to prove that is just not true.”

Rita Malmud Does Not Report New Shelter Plans

Asked if Rita Malmud, who was asked by the Mayor to negotiate with the county on the 85 Court Street, had been in contact with the Mayor about the breakthrough or spoken to him about the new shelter at all, Wood said, “No, not about this issue.”

WPCNR repeated the question, “She has not spoken to you about it then?” “No she hasn’t” was the answer. Wood issued a challenge to Ms. Malmud and the fellow councilpeople to revisit the issue:

“I hope the same group of council people will now address the real underlying issue regarding this homeless facility, regarding the shelter of the hardcore homeless in the fact that a concentrated number of them are being dumped on our streets at 6 AM and picked up at 10 (PM). That was always the Mayor’s concern. He voiced it shortly after the Russo killing when the airport shelter was still in existence. And it continues to be a concern.”

Wood said the current cold snap does not to have created new homeless issues yet.

Mayor Joseph Delfino is in Albany today for a meeting with the New York Conference of Mayors.