The city gave operators of the Grand Avenue homeless shelter another year’s worth of money, while promising to keep an eye on a leaky roof and other problems.
The 75-bed shelter has been struggling to respond to twin pressures from the recession: more homeless people needing shelter, and less government money to serve them.
That has resulted in some complaints about physical conditions and services at the Grand Avenue facility. When it rained, it rained right on the people sleeping. Other complaints focused on unsanitary kitchen and mattresses, crimes occurring at or near the facility, and lack of promised help from social workers — complaints that have been made at times about other homeless shelters, too.
The DeStefano administration this month notified Emergency Shelter Management Services (ESMS), which runs the Grand Avenue facility, that it will renew its $588,185 no-bid contract for the fiscal year starting July 1, but with an eye toward seeing improvements. (Due to dramatic staff budget cuts, the city’s Community Services Administration is short on staff to review competitive bids for its contracts.)
“As you are aware, in the past a variety of questions have been raised about the capacity of ESMS to fulfill its obligations under the agreement,” Mayor John DeStefano wrote on June 8 to the shelter’s executive director, Wesley Thorpe.
“While the City appreciates ESMS’s efforts and expediency in addressing raised concerns, it remains the City’s intention to continue to look into these questions within the next few months.”
“I invite anyone to come over anytime and inspect how we operate over here,” Wesley Thorpe (pictured) declared to a reporter who showed up unannounced as homeless people lined up outside the door Thursday afternoon.
“The clients don’t want to do things they’re supposed to do,” Thorpe said. “They go downtown and make up a lot of lies. We’re doing what we’re supposed to do.”
Thorpe proceeded to walk through the shelter’s main room, where 75 cots and bunk beds were squeezed together awaiting the evening’s crowd, which lately has been filled to capacity.
The mattresses were sealed and clean. The floors were clean, too, as was the bathroom.
The rain still leaks a little sometimes, Thorpe said. The roof had a big hole in it before; he got that fixed a few months ago, he said. The shelter needs a complete new roof, which costs $40,000 to $50,000, he said. “I have three bids already.” But he doesn’t have the dough.
Therein lies the rub. The city dramatically cut back its support of all homeless shelters last year at the onset of a budget crisis. The city provides almost all the money to run the shelter. It used to send the shelter $58,000 a year more than it sends now.
Thorpe said he’s begun trying to raise outside money to fill the gap. ESMS took in $35,000, before expenses, at a charitable golf tournament last week, he said.
Thorpe, who’s 82, used to run Newhallville Cleaners. He has been involved in the Grand Avenue shelter, first as a volunteer, since his church, Immanuel Baptist, opened 20 years ago. He agreed to come on board as executive director in 1996 after the founding director came down with a fatal illness.
“As long as my health is like it is now,” Thorpe vowed Thursday, “I’ll keep going” running the shelter.
In interviews with a reporter, men lined up to spend the night at the Grand Avenue shelter gave mixed reviews. People agreed on the leaky roof. Some criticized staff, others didn’t. No one compared it to a five-star Marriott (or suggested they expect it to be one).
“I don’t think it’s safe here ever. Too crowded,” said Mark Jasper (at right in photo), who said he’s been staying there the past month or so.
The staff? “They’re all right.”
“It’s good. The only place to go,” countered Rich (to his left). “I guess it can be cleaner.”
Nearby, a man identifying himself as Mike and a fellow client were more critical. They spoke of backed-up sewage on the bathroom floor and “case managers who do nothing.”
“You take a shower and bugs come out,” said the fellow client.
Another day in the waiting line, a short man in a big hooded sweatshirt and shorts called the Grand Avenue shelter dirtier but also safer than the overflow shelter on Cedar Street, where guys are “dealing drugs outta there.”
“The public inspector needs to come down here,” added another client. “It’s unsanitary.” He wouldn’t say any more.
Wesley Thorpe said he welcomes inspections. An inspection last August by the city’s health department found some problems — unsanitary mattresses that should have been encased in plastic, mold on the walls, missing refrigerator thermometers. The inspector found the bathroom to be clean. Thorpe said his staff promptly fixes such problems when they turn up.
Another part to this story:
The Greater New Haven Coalition of Contractors will be donating time and materials to fix the faulty floor conditions and paint various rooms of the shelter. This work was previously postponed due to a power outage but has been rescheduled. I personaly reviewed the shelter conditions with the staff as well as bids from contractors for repairs to the roof. Only one bid I deemed to be responsible and acceptable. Remaining items including a new ceiling and lighting in the sleeping room and repairs to the bathroom are being considered by the Coalition for future depending on manpower and materials. The city's efforts are certainly welcome but the shelter came to our community group for support and we have responded.