A large new migrant shelter is set to open in the South Bronx as the city moves forward with the closure of 13 additional shelters by June.
The new facility will temporarily house up to 2,200 single adults, many of whom will be transferred from the tent shelter at Randall’s Island, which is scheduled to close next month, according to a spokesperson from the mayor’s office. Migrants at the new site will be subject to the city’s 60-day policy, which requires individuals to exit the shelter or reapply for placement after that period. Community organizations will be on hand to assist arrivals with acclimation and support services, the spokesperson added.
City officials have not disclosed the shelter’s address, citing security concerns, but council members confirmed it is located in a large, vacant building on Bruckner Boulevard.
The opening comes as the city’s migrant shelter population has steadily declined over the past 27 weeks. This reduction, according to Mayor Eric Adams’ office, allows the city to “right-size” shelter populations in neighborhoods that previously saw a high concentration of facilities and migrants during the emergency response phase. The city is now working to reduce its shelter capacity by closing 10,000 beds.
Council Member Diana Ayala, who represents the new shelter’s district, told the Bronx Times that she recommended the site about two years ago, when members were asked to identify possible buildings in their districts to use for emergency shelter. The South Bronx site was fully vacant at the time and still is, but “For some reason, they didn’t move on the building” until now.
Although she originally recommended the building, she said she heard nothing about the new shelter until the press recently alerted her to it. Ayala said while the Adams administration did not consult with her on the number of beds or the use of the site at this time, she is “not overly concerned” about it. “I don’t anticipate that it will be in perpetuity.”
Ayala said she plans to visit the building soon to assess building security and the number of beds. “When you put too many people in one space, it can become problematic,” she said.
The policies of the incoming Trump administration, which has pledged to carry out mass deportations, is another concern with placing thousands of migrants under one roof, she said. Trump has been “very clear” on his deportation goals, and Ayala said she had been concerned that Randall’s Island, Floyd Bennett Field and other much-publicized shelter sites could become easy targets for immigration enforcement.
Despite the large capacity at the new shelter, Ayala said she has no major concern about the concept in itself. More and more people are exiting the system, she said, and the city is now doing a better job of preventing problems.
“I don’t want the general public to be worried about an influx of crime coming into the community, because that’s not what we’ve seen,” said Ayala.
Council Member Rafael Salamanca Jr. — who formerly represented the new shelter’s neighborhood before redistricting and whose district now borders it — expressed frustration over what he called the continued “oversaturation” of the South Bronx.
“Once again, the South Bronx is carrying the weight for homelessness in the city of New York,” Salamanca Jr. told the Bronx Times. “It’s a never-ending saga.”
Salamanca Jr. noted that his district leads the city in constructing affordable housing units, which provide homes for residents from all over New York City, not just the Bronx.
The borough faces significant challenges, including a growing homeless population, shrinking food pantries, overburdened schools, and an opioid crisis centered around East 149th Street and Third Avenue, Salamanca Jr. said.
While the city emphasizes the need for each district to contribute equally, Salamanca Jr. argued, “The South Bronx is carrying the burden of the city on its back. Where is the investment in our communities other than affordable housing units?”
When asked about the immediate impact the new shelter could bring to the neighborhood, Salamanca Jr. was skeptical. “Two thousand men moving into a community with no jobs, you know, looking for a way to make a living? They’re gonna get some services, but they don’t want to be there,” he said, adding that city resources could go to existing shelters or food pantries instead.
To Ayala, the shuttering of tent shelters and consolidation into the South Bronx is a sign of progress. “I’m happy the building was available and we don’t have to continue to rely on tents,” she said.
But Salamanca Jr. said while he is not opposed to using city resources to help those in need, “The issue to me is more, why the Bronx? Why us all the time?”
Reach Emily Swanson at [email protected] or (646) 717-0015. For more coverage, follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @bronxtimes
