A judge temporarily blocked the city from opening a new intake shelter in the East Village Wednesday after a group of neighborhood residents filed a court challenge over how the Mamdani administration went about closing the existing 30th Street shelter.
The temporary restraining order, issued by Justice Sabrina Kraus, does not mean the move is off the table for good, though it will at least shift back the city’s timeline for shuttering the existing center, near Bellevue Hospital.
“The conditions at the 30th St/Bellevue Intake Shelter have been unacceptable for years,” said Sneha Choudhary, a spokesperson for the mayor.
“Leaving people in a space that is falling apart is a failure of our responsibility to care for our fellow New Yorkers. The decision to vacate was necessary for safety, and based on clear expert guidance.”
The next court date in the case is May 7. In the meantime, the city will continue to operate at the 30th Street shelter, Choudhary said.
A group of East Village residents filed the lawsuit in Manhattan Supreme Court on Monday, claiming the city had improperly invoked the use of an emergency order in opening a new intake shelter in the neighborhood.
“This is an important start, and we appreciate the judge’s fast action on this crucially important matter,” Trisha Goff, one of the plaintiffs, said. “But it is only the beginning. There’s much more work to be done. Now there’s time for due process, to listen to the community, and to find a far better solution to this challenging problem.”
The Legal Aid Society and Coalition for the Homeless slammed the plaintiffs in the suit as “NIMBYs” but said that they also have accessibility concerns about the new center in a joint statement.
“The site at 8 East 3rd St. has long served as a shelter and previously functioned as a men’s intake center, making its current use consistent with its history,” the organizations said. “Opposition from some neighbors lacks a good-faith basis and appears to be little more than NIMBYism, given both that history and the urgent need for a functioning, legally compliant shelter intake facility.”