BRC — Local services in New York

The Room Dormitory style Large (lockable) lockers were provided About 8 men to the dorm Temperature seemed to be kept at 66 degrees (days and nights). However,, it ALWAYS felt much COLDER. Bedding given me was wet for some reason (one sheet and 2 blankets). They had no pillow for me.

The Bathrooms Fairly clean. However, toilet paper will not last long. You should carry your own tissues when going into the bathroom. You should also have your own antiseptic wipes. You will find feces on the toilet seat, floor, and walls of the bathroom stalls.

Meals 3 per day. Choice of hot or cold breakfast. Served in 3rd floor cafeteria. No open shoes or sandals allowed. Oatmeal was always the hot selection.

Security Bag search at entrance. Airport style metal detector search each time you entered the facilities. They will no longer hold items for you.

Lounge A room with a TV (and due to COVID-19) only 6 chairs allowed.

Paperwork Process There was a feeling that a lot of the staff were just going through the motions. On several occasions staff seemed to just expect clients to know what the routines were (or acted in a way that might be considered demeaning):

Loud conversations by staff (day AND night) How Staffers greet clients ..."Bed number?" Or the nice ones will ask, "what's you bed number?" "Thank you" often greeted with a silent scowl Staff and security guards quick to snap at or argue with clients over the simplest questions. Staff who shuffled and strolled as if nothing was important and they had all the time in the world. Security guards required to do security walks EVERY 30 MINUTES (day and NIGHT) letting heavy doors slam 1 or 2 o' clock in the morning. Security guards were temperamental (some were nice and polite, while others  were cold and dismissive). Cleaners having 20 minute LOUD conversations at 2AM. Bed Check inconsistencies - one staffer will do a quiet head count with one light on. While another staffer, will turn on all lights and do a loud verbal name call for each person on her list. Then, walk out, leaving ALL lights on AND letting the door slam. locking bathrooms for the 1 hour bed check time (10pm to 11pm), but forgetting to unlock the bathrooms, so individuals who needed to use the bathroom at 2 or 3 in the morning had to go down to the only bathroom kept unlocked during bed check near the entrance on the 1st floor. Security guards sleeping on duty or so engrossed in their phones that they don't bother to look up to see who's walking pass. Female staffers who enter the  dormitory (usually) without knocking,  mumbling something then walking out letting the door slam. I later found out they were saying "Female on the floor". Caseworkers who stroll into the lounge (without a clipboard) mumbling something then turning around and walking out.

• "SHOUT OUT" * Shout out to the caseworker with the initials S.S. He was very professional. He arrived the next day (with a clipboard). He explained the next steps. And, he was quick with the paperwork.

Paperwork Initial Intake (for this location) rights and behavior agreements meeting with a caseworker to create an independent living plan medical check seemed to be only a series of health questions by the nurse Interview with the staff psychiatrist (due to COVID-19 the interview was completed online through Zoom)

Departure During lunch, one of the staff workers assigned to lunch duty casually mentioned, "I heard you were being transferred". That was my formal notice. When I arrived to my bed, it was already stripped of...

I am residing at 66 clay street bk by 11222 my experience is terrible I have been there for 6 months me and my wife both work we got our lease sighted and more do you know the housing specialist did no AOTA package and wind up getting Fired names isreal cruz and EBurgos not at all was our paper work nd we still sitting here in the shelter lack of work from all parties the security frauds have additude a at any couple that haves there stuff together they showed us nothing but additude and the dhs workers forget it on every set as I u gonna bring drugs hey are all african and act very funny as if there better the director and a lady named miss Samson is very close to the security so u won’t get nothing done they all go off emotions and they wasn’t trained for that I hate it at 66 clay st if u are couples living in nyc bk u will hate the lack of support for the ppl that want to do better they only help firms not lgbtq not real workers but a bunch of dope heads that stand on the corner miss Harding tried to help but her additude started to get very funny after time passed by and we was on her about our home signed lease but our AOTA packet was tampered with and never sent be careful with all theses shelters make sure to have your paper werk in order w2s residence letter find your own realtor or private landlord all shelters do tell you they can help but they can’t if the government don’t provide these services the case worker or housing specialist can’t do shyt please rate...

There’s a clear culture amongst staff of hatred for their clients.

Out of (probably) almost 100 staff, there’s about 5 amazing people working here, the rest hate the clients and ignore/harass/belittle the men who stay here.

The DHS officers are very similarly rude to clients as well but slightly less so.

I was called slurs by a staff member named Robinson, flipped off by a staff member named Moore, one staff member named Sellise would come into our dorm at 3/4am and start YELLING about messes on the floor, which would wake everyone up obviously. When I called to ask for an employee’s name to file a report, another staff member named Bett gaslit me, claimed I was “talking too fast” and hung up on me multiple times without providing her coworker’s name.

I did not have 1 issue with any clients here. Every issue I had was with abusive employees.

They also have a fancy board with various programs near the cafeteria (like job fairs and group meetings) which never happen. The 1 nutritional event they did have was nothing but conspiracy theories about drug companies colluding with fast food to make you sick and how the FDA can’t be trusted whatsoever.

I can keep going about how horrible this place is… the insane thing is BRC gets tens of millions of dollars a year for this garbage.

The supervisors here must encourage or ignore abuse by staff because it seems to be normalized. These men are at the lowest point in their lives, and employees treat them like...