Sylvia's Place, New York Shelter For Homeless LGBT Youth, Faces Licensing Problems

HARD by the mouth of the Lincoln Tunnel, on one of the last ungentrified blocks of Midtown Manhattan, Metropolitan Community Church sits sandwiched between neighbors with pull-down metal gates, its front doors looking almost like the entrance to a loading dock.

The church and its senior pastor, the Rev. Pat Bumgardner, have been acclaimed for creating a welcoming house of worship for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and, especially, for initiating programs that reach out to homeless L.G.B.T. young people.

Read the whole story: The New York Times

Comments

[m4mwithatwist]

05:21 PM on 12/24/2011

its a shame that in this day and age that people cant work and be together we are all part of 1 human family .... i try to help out in small ways with od jobs with yard work at my small gay complex beach side helping the ones down and out who are homeless or jobless .. food and clean clothes works better than money althow alot of people look down on people who hire the homeless i have gained respect from the small gay comunity here on the daytona beach side for taking notice and helping ones in need and i feel good doing that ..in my way thats My church and a way to give back to the ones who arent so lucky to have a job or a home ...

[Measterling]

12:43 PM on 11/10/2011

Below is the link to MCCNY/MCCNY Charities' response to the article.

http://campaign.r20.constantcontact.com/render?llr=ohb65ubab&v=001T6qkBtjSWrPvC43-fwxHbuixeexS246MKQrTeuuSg3uauwzzcvBrHhrcT9kQPNaT7MKFFQDtEKosxWfoj5aaC1_0SgCFgYZpJ3GF24A5-45PA2wJNcTL_p-fSdxLydnHiGQOeilPTrc%3D

[Teresa Young]

01:02 PM on 11/08/2011

If the shelter was for the rich the Government would step in and take care of things, but unfortunately it is for the Homeless youth, so why would any-one really care to get it back into shape, there is no profit in it for those who only care about profits. I hope some-one steps in and helps. You know I don't hate the ultra rich, I just have absolutely no respect for them.

[oshma]

07:24 AM on 11/07/2011

The Buildings Department website has current violation information on the building occupied by the shelter and the church. According to that site, the church has been operating without a permit for 15 years. Why?

The "no secondary means of egress" on the space occupied by the shelter could be lethal. There have been several fatal house fires in the last few years, where people could not get out because the fire was between them and their exit. Basement spaces are particularly dangerous.

I understand that the members and supporters of MCCNY and Sylvia's Place are upset with the article, but no one has posted any concrete information supporting charges of inaccurate reporting of safety and cleanliness problems.

[Measterling]

08:47 AM on 11/08/2011

The "no secondary means of egress" violation was NOT on the space occupied by the shelter and that violation was rectified within the time required. Additionally, the shelter is not in a basement space, it is on the first floor. The article incorrectly states that to enter the space you must go "down a couple of steps." That's just false, there are no steps to the space. As a member of the church for many years I can state that the space is safe and clean. The article has only double hearsay accounts of rodents. Here is a first hand account, there is no rodent problem at MCCNY, let alone rats. Additionally, the article simply states/implies that the space is unclean and unsafe but never actually gives any support to either claim.

[oshma]

08:27 AM on 11/10/2011

Thanks for the information, and it is good to know that you have found the space safe and clean. But, what about the lack of a certificate of occupancy for 15 years? And how about the sprinklers, anyway?

[Measterling]

11:38 AM on 11/08/2011

The "no secondary means of egress" citation was NOT for the space occupied by the shelter and has been rectified. The space that houses the shelter is additionally not a basement space. The article incorrectly states that one must "down a couple of steps" to enter the space, there are no steps since it is a ground floor.
As a member of the church for a number of years I can attest that there is no rodent issue, let alone a rat issue. My first hand testimony is much more reliable than the double hearsay in the article.
The article does not state what the safety and cleanliness issues are and tries to just imply that it is unsafe and unclean. The space is indeed safe and clean.

[JTyroler]

09:35 PM on 11/06/2011

That's unfortunate that conditions are so poor at Sylvia's Place. Compared to many cities, there is nothing available for homeless LGBT youth. Many often result to prostitution and/or drugs to try to keep existing. This is an at-risk group of youth - victims of violence and suicide - they definitely need help. Perhaps some of the members of the communities in the New York area can donate money and/or time in fixing up the building.

[fredimessina]

06:29 PM on 11/06/2011

This story seems very slanted. The Ali Forney Center has only been open since 2002 and before that there really was No type of place offering shelter to homeless LGBT youth. I'm sure it wasn't cushy or ideal, but NO shelter in NYC is period. Now I'm not saying that there's nothing fishy going on, but it just came off as bashing a place that had good intentions.

[wd12562]

06:58 PM on 11/06/2011

so they do want special rights

[Carla Ownwomon]

09:38 PM on 11/06/2011

Who are "they", and what "special rights" do you speak of?

[Measterling]

08:34 AM on 11/08/2011

Agreed! You can donate to Sylvia's Place by clicking here:
http://www.firstgiving.com/MCCNYCharities/two-gifts