Upper West Side group suggests affordable housing for old Calhoun School building

UPPER WEST SIDE, Manhattan (PIX11) -- An Upper West Side community group fighting the city's plan to open a homeless shelter has a new idea: Use the former Calhoun School lower building on West 74th Street for affordable housing.

The "Friends of the Upper West Side" issued a statement calling New York City Mayor Eric Adams to "seize the day" and convert the property into affordable apartments instead of a 146-bed shelter for single women.

It comes after Adams issued an executive order on Wednesday "requiring city agencies to review their city-owned and controlled land for potential housing development sites."

"Now that the mayor wants affordable housing, here we are. To make it a shelter seems inhumane when they're talking about having nine people to a room, 146 people in a small building. This is a family neighborhood, the perfect place for affordable housing," Jim Francis, the Friends of the Upper West Side president, told PIX11 News.

City officials pointed out that the Executive Order calls on city agencies to review city-owned and controlled land. The former Calhoun School Building was sold to a private investment firm in 2023.

In an email, the City's Department of Social Services pointed out that the Mayor’s directive does not apply to the very resources the Department of Social Services is charged with developing/opening to ensure the city has a robust social safety net. This agency's mandate is to deliver services and public benefits effectively.

The DSS statement added:

“This high-quality shelter will be the first of its kind in this community to offer women experiencing homelessness critical safety net and rehousing supports to help them get back on their feet and transition to permanent housing. Emergency transitional housing is fundamental to our agency’s mission to positioning vulnerable New Yorkers for long-term housing stability as shelter staff facilitate connections to lifelines like rental assistance, public benefits, and healthcare. We are grateful for the support of *our communities that help us stand ready to honor the city’s moral obligation to provide immediate shelter to New Yorkers in dire need of stable settings and services. Our efforts have helped increase permanent housing placements from shelter by 20% year over year as we also invest in innovative housing solutions to strengthen access to stable and deeply affordable housing opportunities for shelter residents.”