Community Town Hall

City Leaders Will Host Community Forum May 22 in Opposition to County’s Oakley Street Homeless Shelter Plan at Warring Elementary POUGHKEEPSIE, NY—City of Poughkeepsie leaders will host a community forum on May 22 at the Warring Elementary School auditorium to hear from residents, business leaders, and others opposed to Dutchess County’s plan to create a 100-bed homeless shelter housing only single men and women at 26 Oakley Street in the City’s Fifth Ward. The city is asking Dutchess County leadership to return to an earlier negotiated settlement that would have limited the facility to only housing homeless families and females.

The forum, which will run from 5:30-7 p.m., will feature several speakers including Da’Ron Wilson, Common Council Chairperson; Jamar Cummings, City Chamberlain; Barrington Atkins, President, NAACP of Northern Dutchess Branch; and Randall Johnson, Dutchess County Legislator; with recorded remarks from City of Poughkeepsie Mayor Yvonne Flowers. The evening will also feature a dynamic video filmed in the City’s 5th Ward and featuring city residents, business owners, and elected officials. Additionally, there will be an opportunity for those wishing to provide comments to speak during the event. Those wishing to speak must register in advance at the auditorium entrance and will be limited to two minutes. For several months, the City and County had been working toward a compromise on the shelter project. As a result of those negotiations, County Executive Susan Serino sent a memorandum of understanding to City Mayor Yvonne Flowers outlining an agreement stipulating that only homeless families and single women would be permitted to be served by the Oakley site. After receiving Common Council approval, Mayor Flowers signed the agreement and returned it to the County Executive in anticipation that she would counter sign the agreement. A short time later, the County Executive announced that the County no longer wished to pursue the negotiated agreement with the city, stating that County Legislative leadership had informed her that they would not vote to approve the plan.

At its meeting on May 6, the City’s Common Council went into closed executive session to discuss whether to commence legal action and seek an injunction against the County in order to seek a more equitable settlement of the vexing issue that has been debated through various administrations over the last several years. The City is currently engaged in discussions with its legal team to explore all appropriate options going forward.