A Manhattan court temporarily blocked Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s push to relocate hundreds of homeless men into the East Village, handing a win to local residents who say the city rushed the move.
Judge Sabrina Kraus issued the order Wednesday, likely delaying the planned May 1 opening of the intake shelter on East 3rd Street.
A full hearing is now set for May 7.
“This is an important start,” said Trisha Goff, a member of the neighborhood coalition behind the lawsuit. “Now there’s time for due process.”
At the center of the fight: the city’s plan to replace the long-criticized Bellevue intake shelter with new sites in the East Village and along the Bowery.
Residents, organized as VOICE, say City Hall cut corners to make it happen.
Their lawsuit claims officials improperly declared an “emergency” to fast-track the closure of the 250-bed Bellevue facility — and ignored zoning limits and legal requirements in the process.
“This case… challenges [the] legally invalid decision” to place a major intake center on a residential block without proper review, the filing states.
Attorney Steven A. Engel, representing the group, called the ruling a critical first step.
“We look forward to proving that the City’s decision was not just rushed, but illegal,” he said.
City officials aren’t backing down.
A spokesperson defended the move, calling conditions at the Bellevue site “unacceptable for years” and signaling the administration will press its case in court.
Over 70% of the East Village voted for Mamdani.
Now they’re suing Mamdani because he’s planning to relocate Bellevue homeless shelter to the East Village. https://t.co/O9so7tGGlt pic.twitter.com/B1wPupD7RE
— The Persian Jewess (@persianjewess) April 22, 2026
For now, intake operations will continue at Bellevue as the legal fight plays out.
More over at The New York Post:
Mamdani plan for new homeless intake shelter put on hold after East Villagers sue to stop it https://t.co/meeAImj7cR pic.twitter.com/RfDWn1Fl74
— New York Post (@nypost) April 22, 2026
