Inez and Charles Barron Speak Out Against Displacing Homeless Families

Council Member Inez Barron and Assembly Member Charles Barron have asked Mayor de Blasio to rethink displacement of families at the Flatlands Avenue Family Residence Shelter.

On Tuesday, September 15, 2020 at 12 noon, Council Member Inez Barron, Assembly Member Charles Barron, other Community Leaders, and Advocates for the Homeless will hold a Press Conference in front of 10875 Avenue D (corner of Linden Blvd) Brooklyn NY, at the site of the Flatlands Avenue Family Residence Shelter, which is part of the NYC shelter system and can accommodate 90 families.

Last week, the city announced that families at the Flatlands location would be forced to vacate and the city would replace the families with adult homeless women. This displacement of the family residents is part of the domino effect of the closure of the men's shelter at the Lucern Hotel on West 79th Street, where white upper west side residents engaged a high-powered lawyer who threatened to bring a lawsuit against the city and resulted in the closing of the men's shelter.

This is an act of 'NIMBY', 'not-in-my-back-yard.'

The Barrons believe that everyone is entitled to decent, affordable housing and feel strongly that these families should be put into permanent housing. However, to disperse these families throughout the city, especially during a pandemic, and just prior to the opening of the schools, will destabilize, increase the trauma, and add to the crises for these families.

The Barrons have contacted Mayor de Blasio and he responded that he is weighing their concerns.