Greenpoint to possibly get homeless shelter

Many Greenpoint residents are alarmed. There is plenty of talk about a 200-bed homeless shelter for men possibly coming to this Brooklyn neighborhood in the very near future.

HELP USA, a New York-based nonprofit, is eyeing a four-story industrial building located on McGuiness Boulevard at Clay Street for the shelter. If this building should make the transition, it would become one of the largest shelters in North Brooklyn.

Greenpoint residents are concerned for good reason. Often, when a homeless shelter comes into a neighborhood, so does the crime. HELP USA counters this concern with by assuring the community that the men's shelter will focus on support services, housing placement assistance, and comprehensive assessments.

The proposed shelter is situated in a commercial building that takes up half a city block in a sparsely populated industrial section of northern Greenpoint. Though it is zoned for manufacturing, the previous owner removed partitions and may have been preparing for a full residential renovation.

Currently, the building consists of lofts occupied by several artists and residents.

Residents take note; proposals have been submitted. However, the plan will not be presented at the community's board meeting on Sept. 15.