New York City is facing a homelessness and affordable housing crisis. As of November 2025, 101,978 people were sleeping in NYC shelters each night..

The 1114 1st Avenue shelter is part of an effort to expand shelter capacity in neighborhoods across the city to meet the needs of our homeless neighbors (and provide trained clinicians and staff members who will support residents' needs). Upper East Siders can and should welcome that!

Here’s why:

• Shelters give people the opportunity to come inside, receive needed services, and search for permanent housing. Can you imagine apartment searching when sleeping outside, without access to storage, showers, or housing search help?

• The provider, Housing Services of New York, will provide counseling, case management, and medical and mental health services to support shelter residents in their journey to permanent housing. 

• There is no evidence that homeless shelters make communities less safe, and that includes shelters like this one.

• There’s also no evidence that the presence of a shelter is harmful to children. Rather, our children’s sense of justice and service can be enriched by seeing us welcome individuals who have less than our families, and joining in to make them feel at home.

• The suite of services that are offered at shelters across the city will also be offered at this shelter, including security guards and cameras, and residents will also be subject to the rules and responsibilities that apply to all Department of Homeless Services shelter residents.

• High-opportunity neighborhoods like ours are ideal places for people to get back on their feet, with access to employment and other neighborhood amenities that we all can benefit from. Nobody deserves to be excluded from great neighborhoods like ours. Right now, the Upper East Side actually hosts disproportionately few shelters compared to other neighborhoods–less than 1% of the city’s Department of Homeless Services shelter population. 40 of the city’s 59 community districts–nearly 70%--have more Department of Homeless Services shelter residents than the Upper East Side does.

• Stopping the 1114 1st Avenue shelter would not make our homeless neighbors go away, but it would leave them without desperately needed indoor shelter space. We can welcome shelter residents and support permanent housing at the same time! Here are some ways you can advocate for affordable housing in New York City right now:

  • Support a planned supportive housing project at 1760 3rd Ave, which will provide permanent housing for people exiting homelessness and low-income families

  • Speak up for a city budget that provides the funding to build more deeply affordable units that are affordable to folks who are homeless or at risk of homelessness

  • Speak up for a state budget that provides funding to expand the Housing Access Voucher Program, a crucial new statewide housing subsidy 

  On the Upper East Side, we don't turn our backs on our neighbors in need–we welcome them with open arms. UES families and community organizations have an important role to play in welcoming and supporting new neighbors & holding the shelter provider accountable to the needs of shelter residents. We're excited for our families to be a part of that, and hope that our whole community will be as well.

Jessica Cornfeld, neighbor within 2 blocks of the site

Julia Galotti, UES neighbor - 10128

Kelly Haselschwerdt, UES neighbor - 10128

Georgina Enriquez Vega, UES neighbor -10128

Erielle Sakrekoff, UES neighbor - 10075