Shelter Resident Files Supreme Court Claim Against NYC Nuns
In an abrupt move, an order of nuns has closed a domestic violence shelter in Hells Kitchen and is pressuring more than a dozen abused and homeless women to vacate the premises, according to court documents.
The Franciscan Sisters of Allegany from western New York took drastic actions this month, such as ceasing payments to employees, cutting off phone, cable, and internet services, seizing over $500,000 in funds, and dissolving the nonprofit The Dwelling Place’s board located on West 40th Street, as alleged in the legal filings.
In an attempt to halt the closure, one resident filed a Manhattan Supreme Court claim, denouncing the Franciscan Sisters as callous and cruel. Residents received letters instructing them to find housing in the NYC shelter system.
The conflict arose in June when the nuns suddenly fired the executive director, Deborah Pollock, citing her criminal past, specifically her involvement in a welfare fraud scheme back in 2001, for which she had pleaded guilty and received community service and restitution.
The nuns believed Pollock was mishandling the shelter’s finances, leading to her termination, though they did not specify the alleged wrongdoing.
Instead of replacing Pollock, the nuns opted to close the shelter, evict its residents, and take control of all its assets. The Dwelling Place, City Councilman Erik Bottcher, and a resident filed a lawsuit against the nuns, asserting that the shelter had been financially independent of them for years and that they lacked the authority to dismantle it.
The Dwelling Place was established by the nuns in 1977, in response to homeless women struggling to find sustenance. The Archdiocese of New York granted permission for the shelter’s creation, and it has been serving as not only a shelter but also a food pantry, offering hot meals to nearby residents once a week.
The nuns clarified that they are not evicting the shelter’s residents but directing them to contact the Archdiocese and Catholic Charities for assistance.
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