One day after the launch of the city’s new homeless outreach program, claims of mistreatment in one shelter. News 4’s Checkey Beckford reports.
Troubling claims of mistreatment at the hands of staff at a men's homeless shelter in New York City have surfaced as the mayor helps launch a new outreach program.
Many of those claims were documented in videos recorded by one of the residents of Clark Thomas Men’s Shelter on Wards Island, Rachid Belachagar.
In the video provided by Belachagar, a male worker sitting behind a desk appears to be giving him the middle finger.
"They're not there to help people at all," Belachagar alleges.
That man wasn't the only shelter employee Belachagar recorded Friday behaving badly. He said a nurse hurled a homophobic slur at him when he requested a new bed after being beaten the day before.
"She's a nurse! She's supposed to be helping people," Belachagar said.
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He showed NBC New York a picture of staples in his head after another assault at the shelter several months ago.
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"If you get assaulted over there, [the Department of Homeless Services] won't even do a report," he claimed.
He said none of the assaults were documented.
On Thursday, Mayor Eric Adams touted the success of the city's homeless outreach program while unveiling a new one designed to pair outreach workers and clinicians with transit police responding to homeless New Yorkers.
"Since that plan in 2022, 7,800 New Yorkers have been connected to shelter," Adams said.
But residents on Wards Island said the city needs to take care of the shelter residents it already has.
"The place is horrible. The place has not been painted, the floor is nasty," resident Carl James told NBC New York.
James said all of his complaints about conditions at the shelter have fallen on deaf ears.
"I think that the mayor should come down here with the commissioner of DHS and look at the insides of his place," James said.
Referring to Belachagar's videos, a DHS spokesperson said they are investigating and can't comment on unverified information at this point, but said "we do not tolerate any form of hatred or discrimination at any DHS shelter and ensuring the health and safety of clients and staff is our top priority."
