Last July, the Jerome Avenue Men’s Shelter (JAMS), managed by BronxWorks, opened at 3600 Jerome Ave. a block from the Woodlawn station of the 4 train.  The location was chosen after Norwood parents, local officials, and Community Board 7 (CB7) protested the original site on Webster Avenue across from PS/MS 20, a K-8 school on the other side of Norwood.

At the latest meeting of Community Board 7’s Housing, Land Use & Zoning Committee, members learned of the addition of a permanent clinic within the one-year-old facility. News of the expansion drew concerns, even surprising the committee, given how no one remembers an “outward facing” clinic as part of the original plan for the shelter.

Although the shelter has been operating with a temporary on-site clinic, John Betts, the residence director at JAMS, announced that the facility is “in the process of building out a full outward facing, Article 28 clinic that will be open to the community for people who are homeless…or formerly homeless.”

The Article 28 designation is part of the New York State Public Health Act, which recognizes and regulates the accreditation of public health care facilities. The public often benefits from this state designation given the state’s stricter standards of operation.  The health care provider, in turn, benefits from full participation in Medicare, Medicaid, and private health insurance plans with an increased rate of reimbursement than non-Article 28 facilities.

Currently, the shelter provides 200 beds to “men with mental health issues who are currently homeless,” according to Betts.  They do not have individual rooms but live in a dormitory arrangement with a 10 p.m. curfew.  The facility is open 24 hours with a social services staff that is available on-site during weekdays from 8 a.m. to midnight and 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekends.

Betts estimates that half of the 29,275-square-foot property will be dedicated to the new clinic, which will be coordinated by Care for the Homeless.

While the service expansion will be a benefit to the existing residents at JAMS, which Betts describes as “large and robust,” the move will also benefit those who don’t live in shelters. JAMS’ administration, under a mandate by the city Department of Health, is now opening the clinic up to people from outside the shelter, including women, who will be sent to the location for health care services. Those attending CB7’s committee meeting worry this could pose a danger to the neighborhood. An increase in foot traffic, residents said, could result in panhandling and loitering across the street at Van Cortlandt Park.

With residents expecting an influx in the population, the question of whether the Department of Homeless Services police officers were needed at the site came up. Currently, JAMS does not have any DHS police officers, but contracts with a private security team of eight, each shift rotating every eight hours.  They are trained in mental health first aid, non-violent crisis intervention, and safe restraint.

“We were promised when we opened that we would have DHS police.  We have now been told that that is on hold indefinitely.  So, right now it’s only BronxWorks security and contract security,” Betts said.

Noel Concepcion is the director of BronxWorks’ Adult Homeless Services Department and often works with DHS.  “We actually invited the folks at DHS to this [CB7 Housing] meeting so that you could ask them what the status was,” said Concepcion.  According to Betts, “at the last minute they said they weren’t able to come.”

A request for comment to DHS was not returned to the Norwood News before deadline.

When pressed by committee chairman John Snider on when the decision to make JAMS’ clinic available to residents from other shelters happened, Concepcion said they’d “have to find out from Care for the Homeless.”

“So, this is the notification you’re giving this community right now?” Snider asked.

“Honestly, in my professional opinion … we don’t anticipate there being large numbers of people coming in from the outside,” said Concepcion.

To calm any hysterics, Jean Hill, CB7’s chair, said it’s best that the board do some data gathering of the shelter. “What we need to do is to see [if] there’s been reports [of incidents] to the 52nd Precinct … because we need to have them come in and chime in on it also,” Hill said.

The only police report relating to the shelter came from a missing persons case early this year. Police at the 52nd Precinct reported that Clemente Garcia, 53, was last seen in front of the shelter on Jan. 6 at 10 p.m., the shelter’s curfew. It’s unclear whether Garcia had turned up.

With the next CB7 Housing, Land Use & Zoning Committee scheduled for Sept. 10, Hill recommends that both the landlord, Liberty One Group, and Care for the Homeless, be invited to explain their action in building the new clinic under Article 28 guidelines.

Snider hopes that future meeting with JAMS will be more transparent.  “As a board, we have never been opposed to helping people.  You need to come to us as a board, as equal partners and let us know what’s going on so we can make an informed decision” said Snider.

In a statement, a spokesperson for DHS said, “This specialized facility provides New Yorkers experiencing homelessness and mental health challenges with the targeted supports they need to stabilize their lives, including medical and mental health services, expert clinical staff, individual and group counseling, and connections to additional care in the community. Together with not-for-profit partner Bronxworks, we’re committed to working with the community to ensure this facility is seamlessly integrated into the neighborhood, including to address any questions as they arise.”

Editor’s Note: The story has been updated to include the statement from DHS, which was not provided to us to include in the print version in time.