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NY Post
New York Post
21 Sep 2023


NextImg:Former Manhattan College dorm could soon house migrants

Migrant families could soon be housed in a former Manhattan College dorm in the Bronx as the Big Apple’s shelter system buckles under the surge of asylum seekers arriving in the city.

The Overlook Manor in Riverdale is now being considered as a shelter to help accommodate the 14,000 migrants arriving each month, The Riverdale Press reported Thursday.

The 7-story, 83-unit red brick building on W 238th Street was purchased by the Stagg Group earlier this year for $18 million — after Manhattan College renovated its on-campus housing and decided it didn’t need the extra space anymore, the local outlet previously reported.

The dorm was set to become a homeless shelter, however, Stagg’s senior vice president Jay Martino unexpectedly announced at a community board meeting on Monday that the property management company has been in talks with the Department of Homeless Services (DHS) “as it relates to migrant housing and families.”

The company’s not-for-profit partner Praxis Housing Initiative has secured a $5.3 million-year contract from the DHS, The Riverdale Press reported.

Under the deal, the city agency will pay the group $2.4 million a year in rent — which amounts to about $2,400 per month per unit for the asylum seekers, the outlet noted.

The Overlook Manor, a former Manhattan College dorm, was set to be transformed into apartments for migrant families, according to a report.
Dan Herrick

Martino insisted that nothing had been “decided definitively yet,” however, some Fieldston residents and business owners who spoke to The Post Thursday afternoon raised concerns about the project.

“I personally don’t think it’s good for business,” said Hail Alhumaidi, who works at a local bodega.

Alhumaidi knows the US immigration process first-hand. After four years and hefty legal fees, he was recently able to bring his wife over from Yemen. He added that it was important to him that the residents arrived legally.

“If they went through the process, it doesn’t have to be as hard as other people’s — just as long as they went through something to get it.” 

Ian Christner said his main problem was that locals were blindsided and weren’t a part of the decision-making process.

“The community wasn’t consulted. We were basically kept in the dark,” Christner said.

“Our issue is, we have long-term residents who pay taxes, raise our families here — who participate in the community and who vote,” he continued.

“How come our needs and considerations don’t carry equal weight to that of a developer, that’s going to get taxpayer money to provide social service contracts?”

In a printed statement plastered around the community, Manhattan College said it “adhered to all applicable laws and policies, regarding the future use of the property.”

City Hall did not respond to a request for comment on the reported permanent housing.

A phone number listed for Stagg Group’s office on their website went to a property management company by a different name and was not answered. An email to chief executive Mark Stagg was not immediately returned.

Two men standing outside An Beal Bocht Cafe Thursday afternoon, however, had a more positive outlook.

“I’d rather have the migrants than the college kids,” said Brad Slatin.

“If it’s families, no problem. If it’s single men, then it could be a problem,” Steve Kam opined.

Some 60,000 migrants from the southern border are now being sheltered by the city, a crisis that Mayor Eric Adams has estimated will cost the city $5 billion by the end of the fiscal year.

Last week, the Democrat ordered across-the-board cuts of up to 15% at all city agencies to mitigate the expense.