Upper West Side Group Offers Affordable Apartments in Old Calhoun School Building

UPPER WEST SIDE, Manhattan (PIX11) — An Upper West Side community group fighting the city’s plans to open a homeless shelter has a new idea: using the former Calhoun School’s lower building on West 74th Street for affordable housing.

Friends of the Upper West Side issued a statement calling on New York City Mayor Eric Adams to “seize the moment” and convert the property into affordable apartments instead of a 146-bed shelter for single women.

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The decision comes after Adams issued an executive order Wednesday “requiring city agencies to review city-owned and city-controlled lands for potential housing development sites.”

“Now that the mayor wants affordable housing, here we are. It seems inhumane to make this a shelter when they’re talking about nine people in a room, 146 people in a small building. This is a family neighborhood, it’s a great place for affordable housing,” Jim Francis, president of Friends of the Upper West Side, told PIX11 News.

City officials have indicated that the executive order calls for city agencies to review city-owned and -controlled land. The former Calhoun School building was sold to a private investment firm in 2023.

In an email, the city’s Department of Social Services indicated that the mayor’s directive does not address the resources that the Department of Social Services is required to develop/open to provide the city with a strong social safety net. The agency’s mandate is to effectively provide public services and benefits.

The DSS statement added:

“This high-quality shelter will be the first of its kind in the community to offer women experiencing homelessness a critical safety net and rehousing support to help them get back on their feet and transition into permanent housing. Emergency transitional housing is core to our agency’s mission to position vulnerable New Yorkers for long-term housing stability, as shelter staff facilitate connections to lifelines like rental assistance, public benefits, and health care. We are grateful for the support of our communities, which helps us stand ready to fulfill the City’s moral obligation to provide immediate shelter to New Yorkers in urgent need of stable housing and services. Our efforts have helped increase the number of permanent shelter beds by 20% year over year, as we also invest in innovative housing solutions to strengthen access to stable and very affordable housing options for shelter residents.”

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