Nashak says that the drop-in centers were never meant to become permanent shelters, and are unequipped to handle regular overnight guests. “We’re totally uncomfortable with people sleeping in folding chairs,” he said. “It’s unacceptable, it’s unhealthy, and we can do better.” Still, demand for a metal chair in a safe place remains strong. Last Tuesday, one of the first bitter evenings of the season, men and women lined up for a chance to sleep in Mainchance, a drop-in center for the homeless on Lexington Ave. and 32nd Street in Manhattan. At six o'clock in the evening a security guard broke the news: “There’s no more room. You’ll have to clear out. No standing on the steps.”
A man named Michael hoisted his duffel bag, draped a woolen blanket over his head, and went to wait across the street. He knew that some people inside would be assigned a bed in a church shelter, leaving a few seats open once their transportation arrived. “It’s like a bunch of heroin addicts,” he said of the shelter crowd. “You know, the dealer won’t let them stand on his stoop, so they hide out around the block, and when the dealer opens the door again they rush in, like a swarm.”
Nashak said that under the revised shelter plan, the drop-in centers will be able to focus their energies on becoming more effective service hubs. Those who simply need a place to stay, and not additional mental health or drug addiction services, will be referred to respite beds. However, some members of Partnership worry that the city’s emphasis on reducing chronic homelessness—the condition of living on the streets for a year or more—will diminish services for people who are temporarily down on their luck. “Our guests are usually men in transition,” said Leilani Davis, a volunteer coordinator at the Holy Trinity Homeless Shelter on the Upper East Side. “The city helps them find housing, and some come back [once they're housed] and become our most loyal volunteers. If you have a job and you’re trying to climb your way up, and you get nothing, that’s crazy.”
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Shelter volunteers are also on edge about DHS plans to cut the transportation budget: Rather than busing homeless adults to church shelters, drop-in centers would provide clients with MetroCards to reach their destination. The elimination of bus service raises the possibility that shelter volunteers would have to deal with clients coming in at all hours, rather than on one bus.
Although the concept papers invite the public to voice such concerns, officials have complained about inadequate notice of the proposed changes. “The city should stop this process now and meet with folks like us, the faith community, to understand the depth and quality of the service that we provide,” said Cohen. Partnership members are now bringing their case directly to the mayor, through petitions and protests that will likely intensify through the end of the year.
“I think the mayor, as a practical businessman, is failing to see that he’s throwing away all the donations of time and energy these shelters provide, as well as the human caring you can’t bid for through an RFP,” said Davis, from the Holy Trinity shelter. “He might not be aware that we’re a natural resource.”
