Reject Timbale Terrace and HPD’s plan to move even more people with severe mental illness and addiction into our community.

Just look at 125th Street. Does Harlem need New York City to bring more people with severe issues into our community? We asked for supportive housing for our seniors during the East Harlem visioning process. HPD has done a bait-and-switch, rejecting the community’s strong voice to allocate space in Timbale Terrace for our seniors.

https://www.change.org/p/reject-timbale-terrace-east-harlem-residents-need-housing-for-our-seniors

Sign the petition to help East Harlem residents urge New York City government to stop placing excessive social services in East Harlem. We are victims of NIMBYs and our neighborhood should not be used as NYC’s containment zone.

The latest project is Timbale Terrace, which will build 230 units of affordable housing. To finance the affordable housing, Timbale Terrace will also bring 99 supportive housing for single adults diagnosed with serious mental health and/or addiction issues from outside of Harlem via the 1515 program.  Join lawmakers such as Robert Rodriguez and Inez Dickens to urge the government to find alternative ways to fund affordable housing as to add more to East Harlem only perpetuates structural racism.

OUR CONCERNS WITH TIMBALE TERRACE ARE 3 FOLDS

1. Ignored demands from East Harlem residents, who were extensively surveyed and their desire for supportive housing are for Harlem seniors, homeless households, local artists and those living with HIV. Note also that only 30% of the 330 housing units will be reserved for local residents. (read more–>)
2. Ignored demands from Community Board 11, which issued a resolution to request the government to stop adding more social services to address addiction in East Harlem. (read more–>)
3. Failed to hold Lantern Organization accountable. This organization that already operates two supportive housings next to this location has not been able to provide good quality housing service and social services to their tenants. Why would NYC government want to award them with an even bigger contract? (see all the complaints here–>)

WHY EAST HARLEM DOES NOT NEED ANOTHER ONE?   

The 99 units of supportive housing will not be for East Harlem residents as there are no local preference. Here is the description of the population from the government’s website: “Chronically homeless single adults with a serious mental illness (SMI), a substance use disorder (SUD) (including those who are actively using or have started their recovery process within the last 12 months), or those who may have a co-occurring SMI and SUD.”

1. Within 5 blocks from this site are 10+ adult-only supportive housing and adult only shelters
2. Within 10 blocks from this site are 4 out of 32 needle exchanges in NYC
3. Zip code 10035 has 0.2% of New York State’s population, but has 5.6% of all New York State’s capacities for SRO (Single Residential Occupancy Units) managed by Department of Mental Health and has 11% of New York City’s drug treatment program capacities