Dozens of parents, teachers, and elected officials gathered in Brooklyn’s Canarsie neighborhood on the evening of November 9, 2026, to protest a city plan for a 200-bed shelter for single men on East 108th Street, one block from Science and Medicine Middle School 366.
Council Member Mercedes Narcisse (46th District) addressed the crowd, saying, “You want to put it next to a school, a middle school for God’s sake! These are our children! Shame!” She stated that the Department of Social Services notified her of the plan only the previous week and that “when we spoke last year, there was no shelter plan.” The facility, to be operated by Midway Living, is expected to open in 2028 and would be the first shelter for single adults in her district. City procurement records list a five-year contract proposal of approximately $61.5 million for the site at or near 913 East 108th Street (one report cited 945 E. 108th Street).
PIX11 reported that hundreds of people protested near the middle school, which is about a five-minute walk from the proposed shelter. Families expressed concern that children would pass the site on their way to and from school and objected to the lack of earlier community input.
A Department of Social Services spokesperson linked the proposal to a broader November 4 announcement by the Department of Homeless Services under the Mamdani Administration. The city plans to open 12 new shelters across the five boroughs between 2027 and 2030 (three of them in Brooklyn) to expand capacity, phase out the use of commercial hotels for families with children, address overcrowding at existing sites, and place a shelter in every City Council district. Officials said the added capacity is also needed to meet rising demand from single adults and that community meetings will be held for each site before it opens.
Narcisse requested a meeting with the DSS commissioner and told the crowd she had arranged one for Thursday, November 12. Demonstrators chanted “We want the mayor!” A further community meeting is scheduled for that Thursday at 7 p.m., with organizers seeking the attendance of city shelter officials and the mayor.
The protest reflects ongoing local tensions over shelter placement in Brooklyn neighborhoods, with residents emphasizing safety, proximity to schools, and calls for greater transparency and engagement before final decisions.
SOURCES:
News 12 | New York | Dozens rally in Canarsie against plan to build 200-bed single men’s shelter near middle school
Outrage for planned homeless shelter by Brooklyn school
Canarsie rallies against planned 200-bed men’s shelter a…
Canarsie residents protest homeless shelter near middle school | PIX11
Canarsie residents protest homeless shelter near middle school | Dailywise
Brooklyn Residents Protest Planned Men’s Shelter | 710 WOR
Canarsie residents protest homeless shelter near middle school – PIX11
New York City mayoral election results | CNN Politics
