This petition is being signed by residents of the Upper East Side neighborhood to keep our children safe by relocating the proposed location of the Safe Haven shelter slated for 419 East 91st Street.  Due to close proximity of multiple public and private academic institutions as well as multiple child based activity centers in the immediate area, there is strong community concern on the specific location of this Safe Haven.  Hundreds, if not thousands, of children frequent this city block, often times alone, in commute to school and sport activities.  Due to unsupervised close contact and physical viewing opportunities of adult members of a Safe Haven and minor children is a not a safe environment for young boys and girls.  We need to keep the children of our neighborhood safe.

We have extreme empathy towards the adults seeking help and shelter and support the construction of a Safe Haven, however the location needs to be altered to a space where unattended children do not have unsupervised opportunity of contact with adults.  We understand there is 24/7 security of the Safe Haven however we do not have security to uphold the safety of the hundreds of children that frequent this area alone due to school and support activities.

We are calling for the Community 8 Board members, Ben Kallos, Rebecca Seawright, and Liz Krueger to uphold the safety of the children on this street but relocating the Safe Haven to a physical address that does not have such close proximity to minor children.

Thank you for your time and attention to this matter.