Some Port Richmond residents are furious after learning a migrant shelter is coming to their neighborhood.

“Port Richmond is really coming up. There’s been a lot of positive changes and this is something the community does not need right now,” Port Richmond resident Michele Kennedy said.

City Councilmember Kamillah Hanks represents the North Shore of Staten Island, which includes Port Richmond.

Hanks said over the weekend, City Hall alerted her that more than a dozen single adult male migrants would move into the basement of Faith United Methodist Church on Tuesday, which is something she does not support.

“The residents of this district are tired. They’re tired of constantly waking up one day to find that an institution they trusted has made the decision that they feel will have a negative impact on their community and their safety,” Hanks said.

According to Hanks, the site can house 15 asylum seekers and the church will provide shelter from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m.  

The area surrounding the church is mostly residential, with a school just a few blocks away.

Residents said this is not the right place to put a shelter.

“I’m concerned about these 15 men walking around the neighborhood. People bring their children. They have to walk to school and they all work. There’s a very big, thriving community,” resident Joan Coogan said.

At a news conference Monday, elected officials from the borough called on the city Department of Buildings and the FDNY to inspect the site.

Many in the borough opposed two other migrant shelters on Staten Island. The city shut down the migrant shelter at the former St. John Villa Academy, citing no working sprinkler system or fire alarm.

Migrants were also moved out of the Hungerford School in Tompkinsville after concerns about asbestos exposure.

“I do not believe faith. United Methodist Church was designed to serve as a shelter. It lacks the necessary infrastructure and facilities safely and to comfortably house occupants, as we have seen in the past at Saint John’s Villa and the Hungerford School, use unsuitable facilities that lead to severe health and safety risks, including fire hazards, poor ventilation and exposure to harmful materials,” Hanks said.

According to the city, less than 1% of asylum seekers are housed on Staten Island.

According to a City Hall spokesperson, the city's response to the migrant crisis does not require only "a whole-of-government effort." The statement from the spokesperson said it also requires collaboration with nonprofits, community organizations, volunteers and the faith community.

"New Yorkers are understandably frustrated with bearing the brunt of this national humanitarian crisis, and we're frustrated too," the statement reads, in part.

"We have been out of viable options for months now as hundreds of additional migrants continue to arrive every single week asking for shelter," the statement goes on to read.

NY1 has reached out to Faith United Methodist Church but has not heard back yet.

Hanks said the city is considering six more churches for shelter status on Staten Island.