Homeless Shelter of Horrors !!!

 

 

(The Vu Stabilization Shelter located at 40-47 22nd street, Long Island City , NY 11101) 

B.R.C (Bowery Residents Committee) - Has lied to the public  and received over $600,000,000.00(600 million dollars!) in government money  in the last 5 years alone!  …. They are supposed to be helping the homeless improve their lives and get on their feet ….but instead they are torturing homeless shelter residents with sleep deprivation, violating their privacy and human rights and lying  about helping them with long term housing . 

My experience at a BRC Shelter: I stayed at a BRC homeless shelter in Long  Island City New York called the VU Stabilization Shelter located at 40-47 22nd Street, from October 2022 to January 2024 …it was the hardest year of my life and I barely left alive.  This is my story.…

Sleep Deprivation  : There are 24-hour room checks in the shelter which means over 24 times a day staff pounds on your door opens it and shouts and you must give them your bed number . You are a number to them …imagine being woken up every night  at 1AM , 2AM , 3 AM , 4AM , 5AM , 6AM …how well could you rest and heal …how could you get your life on track ? Many residents resort to sleeping medications and drugs . The reality is they don’t want you rest and recover they want you to be beaten down so they can can easily control and profit off of you . They record information every single time they knock … I’ve seen more people carried out of the shelter dead on a stretcher  than I’ve seen leave to be placed in housing . It costs the government more than 3 times as much to keep  homeless in a shelter then it does getting them their own housing .  

 

 

 

"I spent so many nights not knowing how i could survive the sleep deprecation and abuse from staff..."

 

 

Beds: Residents are given hard plastic beds with no padding and  metal springs that poke into your back. I was left with such severe back pain it made it difficult to function during the day . Many beds are in such bad shape they are a health hazard . After reporting abusive supervisor behavior a bed was placed into my room that was covered in mold , feces,  and urine …I became physically sick from the stench and was told by supervisor Larry Beckwith that i would be kicked out if I removed the bed . This is how supervisors treat residents here. 

 

 

(Photos of bed given in shelter)

"How did they get $600,000,000.00 in government funding and not be able to provide clean beds sanitary BEDS? Where is the money really gong?! " 

 

 

Air Conditioning: Many residents have developed breathing problems because the air conditioners have bad mold and are not cleaned.  I ended up having to go to the emergency room on one occasion because of the effects the bad air had on my lungs . I had a choice of either breathing in toxic mold , or burning up in the summer with no air conditioning because the windows are locked shut. Once again for bringing up the issue I was retaliated against by staff and had some of my belongings taken . If money isn’t going toward decent  beds and breathable air …where is the money going ?

 

 

(Photo of the A.C described above )

"The Air quality was so bad i and several other residents were hospitalized over it!" 

 

 

"Ive seen more people taken out of the shelter dead then be placed in long term housing. 

Long Term Housing: “Housing Specialist” Ruthlyn Laurent and shelter staff did nothing but lie to me about my housing status. She would  schedule fake meetings that fall through and say they lost documentation, makes false promises or say  more forms are needed . They do what ever it takes to keep you from asking questions,  so you’ll stay quiet and in line while they collect government money and do anything but their jobs . Despite evidence of these lies they were not held accountable. Their supervisor Shariyfa Garvis participated in the lies as did the Director Alaa Salem , The Vice  President of BRC Danielle Bogart and The President  of BRC Lawrence Rosenblatt. They have no intentions of finding people housing , just keeping them beaten  down and quiet while they collect government money for their stay . I have seen more people carried out of this shelter dead then receive long term housing!   There is no question in my mind that the poor living conditions , emotional abuse and sleep deprivation contributed to those deaths . Those involved need to be held accountable!

Shelter Culture: Because there is no accountability for supervisors and staff they have created a toxic staff vs residents culture . There are no public spaces for clients to sit while in building . The  downstairs area meant for dinning is used exclusively by staff who often openly bad mouth residents and regulary refuse to feed them when they come down for meals  …microwave meals .  A lot of residents have gotten physically sick and developed bad digestive problems from eating unhealthy microwave food for years. Some how BRC budgets 3 million dollars for these meals …how could they cost so much and why not do better ? There is no other place to prepare meals and hot plates are not allowed .  Many rooms in the facility are used for staff hang out spaces where sometimes they can be heard having sex . The  only priority in the building is the hourly room checks and constant harassment of residents  

Security: Homeless residents in this shelter are not there because they broke any laws or are bad people. I’ve found most residents  just have broken hearts and need compassion and a little help getting back on their feet . Staff assume just because someone is poor they are untrustworthy  dangerous people. It’s incredibly degrading to be searched with a metal detector every time you come back Into the building , padded down and even on occasion strip searched. The degradation makes coming back to the shelter a traumatic and daunting experience. 

Privacy : There  is no privacy!  Staff come in when ever they want , take what they want , for what ever reason they want. Mu  favorite excuse supervisors give for stealing residents property is when they say “ you’re not allowed to feel at home in your room. I  have heard supervisor Joseph DeWeever talking with another staff member promising him dibs on the valuable property they were going to take from a  client . 

Residents Petition: We created a shelter residents petition to address these issues  and although residents were afraid to sign due to retaliation, it received great support and I believed asked for reasonable requests. It was sadly completely ignored by staff , supervisors, the director, the vice president, the CEO and agencies who are supposed to hold BRC accountable.

 

 

 

 

 

Changes and accountability! 

The Mental , emotional and physical torture inflicted on resident has undoubtedly contributed to the premature deaths of many good men and woman in shelter and we are calling for the resignation and criminal investigation into the following individuals who have contributed to the death, torture and deception of those most vulnerable and in need. 

Lawrence Rosenblatt (BRC President)-

 

 

He earns over 350,000.00 thousand dollars a year for  administering services to the poor but as his resume suggest he seems more proud of and brags about managing 450,000,000.00 million dollars in assets . He lies and completely misrepresents what BRC does in order to steal tax dollars and has been torturing and using the homeless for far too long ! He needs to resign and face criminal chargers . 

Danielle Bogart(BRC Vice President)-

 

 

She is supposed to run the stabilization shelters but when made aware of the conditions she refuses to make changes or improve conditions probably because she is happy with the money coming in and has no compassion to do good for the residents there. She says” there is no money for better beds , air conditioning, or providing a healthy food alternative”…. Again  I ask where does the 600 million dollars in the last 5 years alone go that BRC received if residents can’t sleep , breathe or eat food that doesn’t make them sick and die? !  She thinks it’s acceptable for shelter residents to live in deplorable conditions for years indefinitely with no help transitioning to long term housing. Her treatment of the homeless is unacceptable and she need to resign and face criminal charges .

Alaa Salem(Shelter Director)-Was the director during my time at the shelter and was almost impossible to reach or meet with . He showed up to work once a week and  parked his 70,000.00 dollar Tesla in the front of the building. The couple of  times I did speak to him  he would lie and make false promises…any thing to stop you complaining I’m the moment so he doesn’t need to deal with you  . Not one promise he made was true .  He was happy collecting money while we  suffered …he need to be held accountable!

Joseph DeWeever (Site Coordinator):

 

 

Joseph DeWeever allowed staff to get away with nearly anything. He stole residents   property and gave to staff as gifts . He allowed the sleep deprivation and abuse of residents go on for far too long with no consequences. The one staff member that had the courage to speak out during my time there lost his job at the shelter because of it  . Joseph DeWeever needs to be held accountable! 

Larry Beckwith (Supervisor)- Retaliated often against clients and stole their possessions at his whim, also as stated above,  threatened to kick me out of the shelter for wanting to remove the bed covered with feces , urine and mold in my room . He told me many times  “residents are not meant to feel comfortable here” …he did his best to make that a reality . He has to go! 

Beverly Thompson (case manager )-verbally abused , lied to,  and deceived clients . She constantly lied about housing forged documents relating to weekly independent living plans that were never made. 

Ruthlyn Laurent (Housing Specialist)

 

 

 

She has worked at BRC for over 3 years and has constantly lied to and deceived clients about housing while doing little to nothing to help them obtain housing .  She would refuse meetings and when challenged  would say with a smile then talk to my supervisor knowing her supervisor Shariyfa Garvis would be complicit in the lies and deception …years unchecked she has to go ! Fraud should never be tolerated. 

Shariyfa Garvis (Clinical Supervisor)-

 

 

Supervisor to housing specialist and case workers . She has participated in housing deception and inhumane treatment of clients in the shelter for years ! When I mentioned the bed with feces, urine and mold and showed her photos her response was ….how do I know I can’t smell a photo . She said the same about a resident who had raw sewage in his room flooding the room . She has no business being in the position she is in ! She needs to resign and face criminal chargers

What we need to happen for justice to be served !  

1. The resignation of the individuals listed above and criminal investigations into their role in the deception, abuse and death of clients . They need to also be held accountable for fraud and stealing  600 million dollars of tax payer money intended to do good.  As well as an ethical review  into the actions of all case managers and staff . This is not the only BRC shelter in NYC and  my conversations with  residents at other BRC shelters suggests this is how they operate as a business and it needs to change ! The people I’m power have to go ! The abuse has to stop . 
2.The Elimination of the evil door knock policy killing resident

3.Hiring of independent housing specialists who actually want to help clients find long term homes and don’t have a conflict of interest being employed by BRC. When they are paid for indefinitely keeping residents why would they make an effort to find them housing ?

4. Decent Beds that don’t cause back pain and allow clients to rest 

5. Healthy food options or a space client’s can prepare food 

6. Elimination of security checks that dehumanize residents and treat them like criminals 
7. Ethical and criminal review of BRC, and the agencies that are supposed to over see their practices including , HRA, DHS and The Coalition For the Homeless. That have all been made aware and ignored these dire conditions ! 
8. Training  for staff at the shelter to provide a healthy nurturing environment for residents. 
 

Summary and Ways you can help: 

I have seen more residents leave here dead on a stretcher then leave to long term housing,  let’s change that ! Let’s create a place that treats the most vulnerable in our society with love and kindness and empowers them to improve their lives . Let’s make a genuine effort to find long term housing for them , which is significantly cheaper then indefinite stays in shelters that only beat them down and have no intention to help them find homes like the BRC website falsely claims . Evil only can exist in darkness let’s shine a light on these wicked people and get justice for the lives  lost in this horrible place. These good people  should still be with us today . Their lives were entrusted with the wrong people. Although I left the shelter recently. I care deeply about the lives of these people and that’s why I have put in a great amount of effort to speak the truth because I know good people can change the world . Thanking you for spreading the truth god bless you !  

Ways to help -

1. Sign and share this petition!
2. Contact one of the following individuals and tell them what is happening is not ok and you don’t support your tax dollars going towards torture!
3. Show kindness to the homeless it really helps .  God bless you ! 

Alexandria Ocasico-Cortez (CongressWoman)

https://ocasio-cortez.house.gov/contact

 #718-662-5970

30-83 31st Street, Queens, NY  11102

Molly Waso Park 

(NYC Director of Homeless Services)

https://www.nyc.gov/assets/home/mail/html/mailhra.html

#929-221-7315

150 Greenwich St., 40th Floor New York, NY 10007   

 Eric Adams-Mayor 

https://www.nyc.gov/office-of-the-mayor/mayor-contact.page

 #212-788-3000

New York City Hall New York, NY 10007

Kathy Hochul -Governor 

https://www.governor.ny.gov/content/governor-contact-form

#518-474-8390 

 State Capitol Albany, NY 12224

Chuck Schumer - Senator 

https://www.schumer.senate.gov/contact/message-chuck

#212-486-4430

780 Third Avenue, Suite 2301 New York, NY 10017