by Olivia Young
The men’s homeless shelter at 6661 Broadway will open this summer, signaling an end to five years of pushback from the community.
According to a spokesperson from the Department of Social Services, up to 130 men will stay at the shelter, where staff will provide counseling, mental health services and life- skills workshops. Staff will also direct clients to primary healthcare, substance abuse treatment and guidance on how to earn their GED.
Preference will be given to men that are from greater Riverdale and the rest of the Bronx.
The site is owned and managed by Westhab, a Westchester and New York City-based nonprofit providing transitional housing and employment services. President and CEO Richard Nightingale told The Press he believes greater Riverdale residents will be more receptive to the shelter once they see how it operates.
“We create this really productive environment in the shelter that is essentially exit planning from day one,” Nightingale said. “Our whole model is making homelessness as brief an experience as possible.”
Local residents, elected officials and Bronx Community Board 8 members have been outspoken in their opposition to the shelter since 2021, citing public safety.
Critics argued the site was too close to homes and Van Cortlandt Park and expressed concern men with serious criminal records, mental illnesses or substance abuse issues would be accepted into the program. Some flagged the potential for warehousing, which is when a shelter is overcrowded and unable to provide proper services, forcing long-term stays.
“Nothing Westhab does is about warehousing,” Nightingale said. “It’s all about getting people from A to B in their lives.”
A spokesperson from social services said multiple security officers will be on-site at all times, including at the entrance to control access, and cameras will be installed throughout the building and grounds.
Men with serious mental illnesses — defined by the city as a depression, schizophrenia or bipolar diagnosis that substantially interferes with major life activities — would go to a specialized mental health shelter, not 6661 Broadway, Nightingale said.
Westhab doesn’t allow loitering in front of its buildings, Nightingale said, and the shelter will have a 2,015-square-foot outdoor terrace on the rooftop to prevent clients from congregating on the street.
“This is a purpose-built shelter,” he said. “It’s ground-up construction, designed with services in mind.”
Nightingale said construction could becompleted as early as mid-May, but Westhab likely won’t accept its first client until June.
After the shelter is up-and-running, Westhab and social services will establish a community advisory board, a group of residents and neighborhood leaders, to provide feedback on the shelter. The board will meet as needed.
“We remain committed to maintaining open lines of communication and addressing concerns as they arise,” social services deputy press secretary Nicholas Jacobelli told The Press.
Located at the intersection of West 262nd Street and Broadway, the six-story, 36,202-square-foot shelter will have a laundry room, a library, two dining rooms and a computer room. Windows and exterior wall insulation are energy-efficient, according to Westhab.
The shelter was originally designated by the city for use by the African American Planning Commission, a New York City-based nonprofit that aims to reduce homelessness. The commission backed out, and Westhab purchased the property in December 2023 for $4.75 million. Less than 5 percent of clients return to homelessness after staying in a Westhab shelter, according to the organization’s website.
“I think people are going to give us a chance,” Nightingale said.