Some residents who live at the Canterbury House behind St. John’s Episcopal Church said they are outraged after a meeting with church leaders this week. They said they were told migrants may soon be staying at the building.

The church owns the property, but the affordable housing senior living facility is managed by a separate company.

“I am empathetic with the need to house the asylum seekers. However, I do not feel it is in the best interest and safety of the elderly people,” Ms. Gadson-David, a resident of the area, said.

What You Need To Know

  • Some residents who live at the Canterbury House behind St. John's Episcopal Church say they are outraged after a meeting with church leaders this week

  • They say they were told migrants may soon be staying at the building

  • In a statement to NY1, the priest in charge confirmed the plan

  • The reverend said the church parish hall will be used to house asylum seekers instead

In a statement to NY1, the priest in charge confirmed the plan, stating, “God has called us to a ministry of hospitality to the stranger in our midst. Under a City funded faith-based initiative, New York Disaster Interfaith Services (NYDIS) and St. John’s, with the full support of our bishop and the diocese, are pursuing the potential of a 57-bed asylum seeker shelter.”

The priest continued to say that the facility will be separate from the Canterbury House spaces and residents won’t be displaced.

“It’s a senior building. It’s not right. I’m trying to move,” Frank Tripp, a resident, said.

“I didn’t come here to live with 22-year-olds,” Alice Gould, another resident, said.

The reverend said the church parish hall will be used to house asylum seekers instead.

According to the church’s website, Eccleston Hall is where most of St. John’s events happen. It is located in the basement of the Canterbury House.  

Despite opposition, the church said it has a moral and ethical obligation to help those in crisis.

“I asked them, is DHS [Department of Homeless Services] gonna staff the place? Is clinical staff going to be on hand to assist these folks? They said, 'Oh, no, they’re just going to stay from seven o’clock at night to seven o’clock in the morning, and then they have to just go someplace. They’ll give MetroCards and cards to do their laundry, but we don’t know where they’re going to go during the day.' That’s not helping the person,” Gadson-David said.

This contract with New York Disaster Interfaith Services has been approved.

“We must defend for the sake of those in crisis whom we have been called to comfort and care for until they have exhausted their legal options under U.S. law,” the reverend said in a statement.