Bronx, NY – Council Member Andrew Cohen, Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz, Council Member Andy King, Senator Jeffrey Klein and Congressman Eliot Engel were joined by community leaders at the Project Renewal Shelter in Wakefield to demand that the homeless shelter be closed following the fatal shooting of its director, Ana Charle, by an ex-tenant on Monday evening.

Security has been a long standing issue at the Project Renewal Shelter, with 175 calls to 911 from January 2015 to approximately the end of March 2015. Last year’s numbers are even more alarming, with 675 calls to 911 between January 2014 and November 2014. Local elected officials had repeatedly met with the Department of Homeless Services (DHS) requesting additional security be added to the site, in light of the high number of emergency calls being made from inside the facility.

Approximately 60% of the tenants living in the Project Renewal Shelter are formerly incarcerated felons, with arrest records that include felonies, murder, rape, and criminal possession of a weapon. In addition, many have serious substance abuse issues. As of December 2014, there were approximately 40 registered sex offenders living in the Shelter.

The City has made Wakefield a neighborhood for cluster sites and homeless shelters, with three DHS facilities located within blocks of each other:

• Temporary housing facility for homeless families on E. 233rd Street and White Plains Road
• Project Renewal Shelter, a 108-bed shelter for single-men, 18 years and older, on 4380 Bronx Boulevard.
• The Sgt. Joseph E. Muller Army Reserve Center, a vacant military post on Nereid Ave., is slated to become a 200-bed men's shelter operated by The Doe Fund

There is also a 61-unit Praxis Housing facility for formerly homeless couples without children, as well as single men and women, located on 4339 White Plains Road. 100% of Praxis residents are homeless individuals living with HIV/AIDS, 25% have criminal histories, 75-80% have drug or alcohol problems, and 75-80% have indications or documented histories of mental health issues.

Assemblyman Dinowitz said, “The tragic shooting that occurred near the Project Renewal Homeless Shelter on Monday highlights the major security concerns that we have repeatedly warned the Department of Homeless Services about. This shelter came into Wakefield with no input from the community and over the objections of its residents. The DHS pulled a classic bait and switch by placing at least 40 convicted sex offenders in the shelter without notifying the community. To add insult to injury, the City intends to open up another large shelter, the Muller Center, just a block away. This oversaturation of homeless men in one neighborhood is reckless and irresponsible. I call for the closing of the Project Renewal Shelter and a moratorium on any further steps to turn the Muller Center into a homeless shelter. Our community stands united on this crucial issue.”

“Project Renewal deals with an incredibly tough population with serious mental health issues, the formerly incarcerated, as well as registered sex offenders. This work cannot be done without adequate resources. I personally met with Commissioner Taylor on February 2nd to ask for more security for this facility. It was not until the intervention of the Mayor’s office yesterday that security resources and protocols were implemented. I am thankful to the Mayor’s office for responding, but as of this moment I am not convinced that this facility can be run safely,” said Council Member Andrew Cohen.

“I first wish to express my condolences and prayers to the family and friends of Ms. Ana Charle. I am truly sorry for your loss,” said Council Member Andy King. “United, as a community, we are horrified. It’s one thing to create a safe haven for those who are truly in need of housing and it’s another to create community aggravation. Since I came to office, constituents have approached me on the street and at events — troubled about the Project Renewal residents who have approach them on the street begging for money or other reasons. We had asked DHS and Project Renewal to work with the community. Over the past year, we've expressed our concerns and requested more staffing and security to make this a safer facility. Our requests have been ignored! Now, the tragic shooting death of this shelter’s director has prompted our urgent call to close this shelter. “

“The circumstances surrounding the death of Ms. Charle are truly horrific and heartbreaking. Her death is absolutely tragic, and my deepest condolences go out to her family and friends during this incredibly difficult time,” Congressman Eliot Engel said. “Concerns regarding safety at the Project Renewal Shelter had been raised by elected officials for months prior to this incident, yet nothing was done to address them. The people of Wakefield have already accepted an inordinate amount of supportive shelters into their community; they do not deserve the added burden of this unsafe facility. Today, I join my colleagues in calling for the immediate closure of the Project Renewal Shelter, and in renewing our opposition to the ill-conceived, planned Muller Center homeless shelter.”

“The senseless killing of Ana Charle leaves us with many questions that will probably never be properly answered. However, it is now our duty to look into some of the circumstances that possibly could have averted this tragedy to make sure this horrendous event is not repeated,” said Senator Ruth Hassell-Thompson.

Assembly Member Shelley Mayer said, “This terrible crime requires us to speak out again. The residents of southeast Yonkers, across the city line from this community, have repeatedly opposed the oversaturation of homeless shelters in Wakefield. Today we urge the immediate closing of this shelter and a moratorium on future shelters in this community.”

“The horrific death of Ana Charle is tragically, the latest in a string of heinous threats, serious safety concerns and recurring criminal acts stemming from the Project Renewal Shelter on Bronx Boulevard. This neighborhood is completely inundated and oversaturated with homeless shelters and it’s clear from these latest events that something must be done. That’s why I sponsor legislation in the Senate that would prevent this type of aggressive, concentrated placement of shelters and establish a stronger community review process moving forward. I stand with my colleagues Councilman Cohen, Councilman King, and Assemblyman Dinowitz to call on this shelter to close immediately. The Bronx should not have to bear the brunt of the city’s entire homeless population,” said Senator Jeff Klein (D-Bronx/Westchester).

“This tragedy highlights the neighbor’s greatest fear. If these shelters cannot make a safe environment for their own staff, than how can we be sure the communities here in the Bronx and in Yonkers will have safe environments as well? Further construction at the Mueller Center should be stopped immediately in the interest of public safety,” said Senator George Latimer.

“Let’s be clear about who and what the problem is in this instance. The problem is the New York City Department of Homeless Services and this incredibly incompetent and disingenuous manner in which it operates. The agency has yet to honor its commitment to ne forthright and transparent with local neighborhoods in assisting the homeless and to dialogue with us in addressing this urgent need. If perhaps the Department had worked with us rather than against us and behind our backs, the tragedy that causes us to gather this afternoon may well have been avoided. May the soul of Ana Charle rest in peace and may her loved ones be comforted by the Grace of God’s Consolation,” said Father Richard Gorman, Chairman, Bronx Community Board 12.

“Homeless shelters help people who need help but the disproportionate number of shelters surrounding the neighborhoods of Woodlawn and Wakefield bring a disproportionate amount of risk to our residents, families, and those who work here. This woman dying shows us our worst nightmare has happened. Surrounding our middle-class neighborhoods with high-risk scenarios force our community members to pay and we cannot afford to, especially when the price may be our lives,” Erin Lee, President, Women of Woodlawn.

“It’s a shame that it took a tragedy like this to bring attention to the need for increased security around these homeless shelters,” said RJ Puma, Chairman, McLean Avenue Merchants Association.