The city is planning to open a homeless shelter at the now-shuttered Capri Whitestone Hotel in the Bronx.
The motel — known for its deplorable conditions and hourly clientele — hit the market earlier this month. The New York Daily News reported that non-profit HELP-USA struck an agreement with the city to convert the 95-room building into a shelter for homeless families. New York City currently has a homeless population of 55,728.
The motel is adjacent to Ferry Point Park, where Donald Trump is opening a public 18-hole golf course, which has so far cost the city $236 million. The golf course is scheduled to open in 2015.
The motel closed earlier this year when the Hotel Trades Council charged Capri Whitestone’s owner Ankoor Naik with cutting the wages of room attendants as well as eliminating their healthcare and retirement benefits, according to the Daily News. [NYDN] — Claire Moses