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NEW YORK, NY (March 16, 2026) - On Wednesday, March 18th, the East Side Accountability Alliance, alongside homelessness advocates, concerned residents, and local business owners, will hold a press conference directly preceding the Manhattan Community Board 8 meeting to demand a halt to the proposed 200-bed shelter at 1114 First Avenue.
The community recently secured a Temporary Restraining Order from the New York Supreme Court, halting the project's April opening due to severe procedural and environmental review deficiencies.
Speakers will highlight the City’s failure to provide advance community notice, but more importantly, will address the humanitarian and public health crisis of the proposal. The city's plan involves cramming 200 vulnerable women into a commercial building, with 13 to 14 women assigned to a single room and sharing communal bathrooms. Advocates will argue that this high-density congregate model completely ignores the tragic lessons of the COVID-19 pandemic. Public health experts have repeatedly demonstrated that congregate settings with shared dormitories make social distancing impossible and significantly increase the risk of infection spread. By reverting to this high-density model, the city is denying these women basic safety, health, and human dignity.
WHEN:
· Wednesday, March 18, 2026
· 5:50 PM (Immediately preceding the 6:30 PM CB8 Full Board Meeting)
WHERE:
· Outside Marymount Manhattan College
· 221 East 71st Street (Between Third and Second Avenues)
WHO:
· Representatives from the East Side Accountability Alliance
· Homelessness Advocates
· Local Business Owners
· Lenox Hill Community Leaders and Residents
Learn more about Alina Bonsell at www.alinabonsell.com
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