Mayor de Blasio and DHS switches successful homeless shelter for women into one for men

WPIX

 A homeless shelter on West 107th Street in Manhattan Valley, currently housing women, is expected to transition to single adult men in October. And much of the neighborhood is not happy. 

"Once men are involved here, the landscape could potentially change and everybody is concerned," neighbor Ali Jafry said.He lives next door to the shelter and said in recent years the women have been good neighbors.

The New York City Department of Homeless Services recently announced the change and Manhattan's Community Board 7 held a meeting Tuesday night to address it. But a DHS representative didn't come.

 "Up until 4 o'clock they were coming. At 4 o'clock they called the office to say they can't come," CB 7 Chair Roberta Semer told PIX11 News. This did not sit well with the shelter's neighbors. 

One man at the open meeting said, "Why are they not here? Why are they hiding from us?" The current shelter houses 120 women and most have jobs. Tari Wheeler said this shelter helped her get her life together. 

The Department of Homeless Services said it will move the women to permanent housing or another shelter. 

While Wheeler doesn't know where she will be sent, she is also worried about the kids in the neighborhood. "No offense on the men, but there are small children around here. We have to look out for the small children besides ourselves," Wheeler said.