The safety and well-being of Upper West Side residents is in jeopardy with the conversion of neighborhood hotels into temporary shelters without notice to residents (The Hotel Belleclaire, The Belnord Hotel and The Lucerne). The shelter inhabitants (approx 700 in the aggregate among the 3 hotels) are not being adequately vetted before being placed in our residential community. This has resulted in 15 Level 2 and Level 3 sex offenders, some of which are violent sex offenders, being housed at the Belleclaire (14) and Belnord (1) - refer to 2nd article and check the NYS Registered Sex Offenders site. In addition, the men who have been relocated to the Lucerne are on methadone and one of the homeless residents (see article below) confirmed that many of these men are active drug users. Residents, including myself, have observed drug use in public. This situation is making life uncomfortable for residents and putting families, children and the elderly in harms way. Please sign the petition and share the link if you are in support of relocating these men to shelters or facilities where their complex mental health and addiction needs can be adequately addressed.

UPDATE: There are a total of 19 sex offenders listed on the Registry now (18 at the Belleclaire and 1 at Belnord)

Additional information can be found here:

https://nypost.com/2020/07/27/hotel-lucerne-on-upper-west-side-converts-to-homeless-shelter/

https://ilovetheupperwestside.com/belleclaire-residents-with-troubling-pasts/

https://www.westsiderag.com/2020/07/26/homeless-residents-coming-to-uws-hotel-are-being-transferred-from-another-hotel-where-it-didnt-work-out-and-drug-use-continued#comment-426459

https://www.westsiderag.com/2020/07/24/lucerne-hotel-to-house-283-homeless-men-recovering-from-substance-abuse#comment-426458

https://ilovetheupperwestside.com/a-temporary-shelter-at-the-lucerne/#comment-17272

https://ilovetheupperwestside.com/senior-residents-at-belleclaire-hotel-grow-concerned-as-homeless-move-in/