Kenton Hall on the Bowery
A rushed city effort to close the longtime Bellevue intake shelter and shift services to new sites — including facilities on the Bowery and Third Street in the East Village — has drawn scrutiny after a man died by suicide following an abrupt relocation, according to a report by Politico.
Steven Rosa had been staying at Kenton Hall, a behavioral health shelter in the East Village, when he was told to pack up and move the next day to a hotel in Brownsville, Brooklyn.
Family members say the sudden transfer — which may have fallen short of the city's 48-hour notice standard — disrupted his care and support system. He was found dead in early April.
The move was part of the city's push to vacate the East 30th Street intake center near Bellevue and convert two East Village sites into new intake facilities. That plan required relocating hundreds of shelter residents from both Bellevue and the East Village buildings.
Advocates had warned that quickly moving vulnerable residents — many dealing with mental health and substance use issues — could pose serious risks if not handled carefully.
The intake-site plan, including the East Village locations, is now on hold after a judge paused the rollout amid a lawsuit from local residents who say the city bypassed required review and notice processes.
Read the full Politico article here.
A community task force, VOICE (Village Organization for the Integrity of Community Engagement), has organized a petition, which "demands that the City rescind the emergency orders which have bypassed community safety."
Find the petition here.
