By David Cruz 

Amid a streak of violence at a controversial cluster site shelter in Norwood, the New York City Department of Homeless Services intends to replace the building’s shelter provider for a new one, according to officials. This comes despite assurances the cluster site shut done. 

But the impending change at 15-19 W. Mosholu Parkway N., a five-story walk up, offers little relief to the small band of remaining rent paying tenants who were previously told by DHS that the shelter would close indefinitely. Fed up tenants blamed the dip in quality of life on homeless tenants, also equally frustrated. Many were shocked to learn DHS had scrapped plans to relocate the homeless.

“We feel that the people who were pretending to help us brokered a backroom deal behind our backs to keep the shelter open,” said Henry Perry, president of the tenants association.

The overarching issue involves the nature of cluster sites, a holdover concept of the Bloomberg administration that housed homeless families with regular rent paying tenants. DHS contracts with a nonprofit shelter provider to house the homeless, which cover market rate rent and any of the contractor’s overhead. The de Blasio administration is now attempting to undo cluster sites.

This spells bad news for Aguila Inc., the notorious shelter provider managing the cluster site, which scaled back social services after DHS cut funding for all cluster sites. Tax records from 2013 show the nonprofit’s revenue totaled $49 million. These days, a first floor office for social workers now sits vacant, along with a security desk to monitor the homeless. A decision on what to do with the homeless remained in limbo for months until DHS delivered the news at the end of November. Representatives for Aguila Inc. did not return phone calls.

Scouting an appropriate home for the Norwood homeless families appeared to be the key challenge for DHS given the shelter crunch engulfing the city. At the Norwood site, one apartment held a homeless family of 15. “And frankly, they’re not going to find housing,” said Engelken, Community Board 7’s district manager, speaking to the Board’s Land Use/Housing Committee. The office has now partnered with Councilman Andrew Cohen’s office to seek solutions.

Uptick In Violence

When the homeless quietly moved to the apartment building in 2008, conditions began to unravel, according to tenants both homeless and regular. Basic quality of life troubles slowly emerged, mainly late night loitering despite a 10 p.m. curfew and drug use. The problems continue today, according to Catherine Barbosa, a rent-paying tenant who moved in a few months before Aguila Inc. leased the units.

“If they were rent paying tenants they would respect the building,” said Barbosa of her homeless neighbors. “You’re not going to loiter it. You’re not going to treat it like trash and garbage.”

Problems peaked last month on Nov. 8 after a dispute between two men escalated into a wild shooting on the first floor. The tenants involved have since been evicted. The same day a domestic violence disturbance sent officers back to the building. The next day a rent-paying family was attacked by a group of homeless individuals accused of blocking the family from entering. The 52nd Precinct has now routinely patrolled the hallways, filling the work of Aguila’s security guards. But Barbosa argued that security was extremely negligent over Aguila’s clients from the start.

“There really was no one to speak to,” said Barbosa. “And even if they were there in the building and you addressed your concerns about their clients, they didn’t handle it.”

Councilman Cohen sent a letter to DHS Commissioner Gilbert Taylor requesting the agency hire an interim security staff to restore safety at the building. Lack of security has also prevented homeless tenants from logging their check in and out time, which could jeopardize their standing with DHS.

Homeless Speak Out

Within the building a division between homeless families and regular tenants has long existed. Dana Hollis, a homeless tenant living with 11 of her children, has since noticed a shift since the November incidents.

“Ever since that happened we’ve been discriminated against,” said Hollis, who’s conducting some tenant organizing of her own. “It’s not fair that other families that are minding their business are suffering.”

Her neighbor, Robert Smith, a homeless father of two, agreed, saying, “one apple doesn’t make all the apples bad.” The two noted that regular tenants contribute to the building’s deterioration, chucking dead rodents from their apartment windows.

Perry insisted the rent paying tenants are not demonizing the homeless, though he blasted cluster sites from happening to begin with.

“Shelters should not be reducing the supply of affordable housing, which adds to the homeless problem,” he said.

A spokesman for DHS could only say the agency is in ‘ongoing discussions” over the future of the cluster site.