POUGHKEEPSIE – The Poughkeepsie Common Council held a special meeting on Wednesday night to vote on the proposed Oakley Street settlement agreement with Dutchess County. Five members voted in favor of the agreement: First Ward Councilman Ernest Henry, Second Ward Councilman Evan Menist, and Seventh Ward Councilman Christopher Grant. Council Chairman Da’Ron Wilson voted against the agreement.
Pursuant to the mediated terms, the county legislature is scheduled to vote on the agreement tonight (Thursday) at 6:40 p.m.
Council Chairman Da’Ron Wilson addressed the members of the public who want the city to continue the litigation and issued a warning to them. “I hear everybody saying keep fighting. Just so you know, the taxes are going to go up because they (outside counsel) have to be paid. To continue this fight, win, lose, or draw, it’s going to cause a tax hike.”
Menist was on the council and part of the unanimous vote in February 2025 to allow the county to operate a homeless shelter at 26 Oakley Street. With no changes to the previous plan, Menist spoke against the agreement on Wednesday, arguing that when the HOPE Center is open, the neighbors will see the shelter in operation and experience negative impacts on their property values and be subjected to seeing shelter residents in the area.
Council Vice-Chairman Nathan Shook said, “This is not a moment to celebrate. This (agreement) represents the least bad option. It is not a perfect document, but settlement agreements never are perfect documents.” Shook noted that there is a risk of losing everything by continuing the lawsuit, adding, “That is not a risk I am willing to take.”
The proposed settlement follows a lawsuit filed by the city and two citizens to prevent Dutchess County from placing a homeless shelter at 26 Oakley Street. The matter was mediated by US Magistrate Victoria Reznik to determine how the county could meet its state-mandated obligation to provide emergency housing to those in need while addressing concerns from city officials and residents about potential community impacts. Judge Reznik will continue to serve as the neutral decision-maker for enforcing all conditions of the agreement.
The agreement, signed by County Executive Sue Serino and Poughkeepsie Mayor Yvonne Flowers, will now go to the county legislature at their next public meeting for a vote. The pact also provides for a priority item for the city – the transfer of ownership of the Youth Opportunity Union (YOU) property at 35 Montgomery Street from the county back to the city. The YOU is the former YMCA, whose development plans have been revised several times and have cost taxpayers millions of dollars; it has sat vacant and idle for more than a year. Original plans for the YOU were anticipated to cost upwards of $150 million. The most recent scaled-back plans were estimated at $65-$70 million.
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According to Serino, the Oakley Street facility will be known as the “Homeless Outreach & Program Engagement (HOPE) Center,” while addressing the city’s key concerns, including safety and neighborhood impact. The HOPE Center, according to the county, “will continue the successful case management model that has already helped more than 100 people overcome challenges and find their path out of homelessness into permanent housing in the last 20 months.”
Provisions of the Agreement:
- The HOPE Center will serve both adult men and women during the sunset period. The sunset period begins when the agreement is fully ratified by both city and county legislative bodies and ends eight years after that effective date.
- After the sunset period, the HOPE Center will transition to serving single women and/or families only.
- The county will provide on-site and perimeter security at the HOPE Center, including 24-hour security patrols, lighting, and security cameras.
- A curfew will be enforced, requiring all individuals housed at the shelter to remain in the shelter between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m.
- The county will not construct, directly operate, or fund any other emergency shelter in the City of Poughkeepsie for 35 years. This does not apply to temporary warming shelters; existing shelters are grandfathered.
- The county will work in good faith to arrange emergency shelter for single males outside the City of Poughkeepsie before the sunset period ends.
- A stakeholder group will be established to communicate about the operations of the HOPE Center, including measures being taken to ensure security and to address safety and quality-of-life concerns in the surrounding area.
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