Note: The following is a letter sent on July 10, 2024 to NYC Mayor Eric Adams and Commissioner Molly Wasow Park, NYC Department of Homeless Services. It is presented as a Guest Opinion piece at the request of its authors. Those who wish to add their names and/or groups/organizations to the list of supporters appearing at the end of the letter are asked to contact John Mudd of the Midtown South Community Council, via john.mudd@usa.net.

Dear Mayor Adams and Commissioner Wasow Park,

We’ve had a growing crisis of homelessness, and not enough is being done to end it. However, Mainchance has ameliorated the issue, giving people a place to come for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and receiving housing and social support.

Mainchance is a 24-hour multi-service center that provides nightly emergency shelter and respite beds—access that is so important and not readily available. Moreover, their competent case managers serve people’s medical, mental, and addiction healthcare needs and create pathways to housing, education, training, and jobs.

We wholeheartedly support Grand Central Neighborhood Social Services Corporation (GCNSSC)’s homeless drop-in center, Mainchance, at 120 East 32nd Street. They’ve been with us, fighting the good fight for 36 years, and we would not want that taken away. As you must know, Mainchance provides high-quality care that plays an important role in connecting people with housing and other needed resources.

The contract with DHS must be renewed, and additional funding must be considered. Some past administrations have made the mistake of allowing drop-in centers to shutter, and this, of course, was reflected in the streets. The blowback of poor policies will plague this administration just as it did with Bloomberg’s misguided plan. A drop-in center has enormous benefits, and any advocate, provider, health organization, and others will confirm as much. The National Institute of Health has measured outcomes, and providers, advocates, and health organizations too.

Mainchance’s outcomes are quantifiable: Since Fiscal Year 2011, Mainchance has provided 190,998 respite beds for people who need a place to stay. So far, in fiscal year 2024, they have served over 50,000 meals and are on track to exceed the 71,077 meals served last year. During the pandemic, they placed 331 individuals into permanent housing while most City services had shut down. Last fiscal year, they served a total of 45,435 people; this fiscal year, they have served over 25,000 people. They currently have over 75 families who rely on their food pantry and can serve up to 300 people per day. Terminating their contract will leave these people stranded without the services they have come to rely on and destabilize their path to permanent housing.

Since its inception in 1989, GCNSSC has worked collaboratively with local stakeholders to adapt its programs to meet the needs of the city’s homeless population and serve as a strategic operative within the community’s continuum of care. With the dwindling supply of affordable housing and still growing numbers of homeless, GCNSSC’s work is more important than ever.

MSCC values its collaborative partnership with Mainchance because of their responsible delivery of essential human services to people needing support in Midtown New York and beyond. We often reach out to Mainchance for solutions for people needing housing and supportive services. The team at Mainchance has never let us down, either through direct support or referrals. Recently, we had several individuals with complex challenges, and Mainchance provided the appropriate services. Mainchance has a vital role within our network; their continual partnership is essential to its expansion and mission to mitigate and support people who are suffering from homelessness. The food, health, and housing insecurities crises, along with COVID-19, have destabilized close to 600,000 New Yorkers (click here for more info).

Mainchance is a valuable asset we cannot afford to lose. This would be a deplorable decision, and the damages will be irreparable.

The challenges are growing, and we will need (GCNSSC) Mainchance to support people not only who are homeless but also those who are facing mental health and employment challenges and are at risk of losing their housing.

Please do not allow Mainchance’s closure to be another inadequate response to our social problem and a very bad policy decision. Mainchance has been in the business too long, and it works hard to maintain and improve its model. It is serious about the care it provides.

Sincerely,

John Mudd & Sharon Jasprizza, Midtown South Community Council

SIGNED IN SUPPORT:

Bryan Fotino, Tenant Organizer

Sarah Shapiro

The Reverend Peter Cook, Executive Director, New York State Council of Churches

Bennett Kremen

Robert Robinson

Midori Yamamura

Isaac Adlerstein

Erica Llewellyn

Roberta Pikser

Bonnie Mohan, Executive Director, The Health & Housing Consortium

Miriam Fisher

Sharon Jasprizza

Midtown South Community Council

Bryan Fotino, Tenant Organizer

Sarah Shapiro

The Reverend Peter Cook, Executive Director, New York State Council of Churches

Bennett Kremen

Robert Robinson

Midori Yamamura

Isaac Adlerstein

Erica Llewellyn

Roberta Pikser

Bonnie Mohan, Executive Director, The Health & Housing Consortium

—END—

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