Dozens of East Flatbush residents and local leaders crowded the sidewalk outside the Holiday Inn on Kings Highway on Wednesday, blasting the city's plan to convert a women-and-children shelter at the site into emergency housing for single adult men. Protesters said the move uprooted families who had built support systems in the neighborhood and landed with almost no warning. Councilmember Farah Louis joined the rally and urged the mayor and the Department of Social Services to pause the conversion and spell out exactly why the change is happening.
Louis says she was notified by email
Louis told News12 Brooklyn that she learned of the plan in an email from the Department of Social Services on Monday. By Tuesday night, she said, most of the families had already been relocated. Louis noted that her district already hosts five shelters and argued the conversion runs afoul of the city's own fair-share expectations for how such facilities are distributed.
Part of a broader hotel conversion effort
The fight over the Kings Highway site is part of a larger city push to turn hotels into shelter beds after the decision earlier this year to close the Bellevue intake facility. As reported by City Limits, Brooklyn community boards were notified in May about multiple hotel conversions. Residents raised alarms about how quickly the changes were moving and about the clustering of shelters in majority-Black neighborhoods.
Community boards and public hearings
Brooklyn Community Board 14 posted a public hearing notice in May on Department of Homeless Services shelter plans, underscoring that the placement process has been on the board's agenda. Meeting materials from that hearing show residents calling for clearer written plans and more time to weigh in before sites are locked in, according to Community Board 14.
Echoes of earlier neighborhood fights
Neighbors say the Kings Highway dispute feels familiar. They point to earlier clashes over hotel conversions in Brooklyn, including a May showdown over a Red Roof Inn proposal in Ditmas Park that turned into a full-blown neighborhood campaign. For a sense of how quickly these fights can escalate, see Red Roof Inn battle in Ditmas Park.
Residents say families lost community ties
At the Kings Highway rally, parents and neighbors told reporters that children who had been enrolled in nearby schools and volunteers who organized food and clothing drives for the shelter were left scrambling after the families were moved out. Those firsthand accounts were shared with News12 Brooklyn, which also reported that organizers want a transparent plan for staffing, services and safety before the conversion to a men's shelter proceeds.
Public records show procurement activity
City procurement records show the Department of Homeless Services has been pursuing contracts to operate hotel properties as temporary shelter space, lining up with the timing of the community notifications this spring. A notice in The City Record outlines the intent to award a negotiated acquisition extension for hotel-based shelter operations, reflecting the city's ongoing search for sites. Details are available in the City Record listing.
What comes next
Organizers at the Kings Highway protest said they plan to hold follow-up meetings with elected officials and are pressing the administration to release a full blueprint for the site, including staffing levels and safety protocols. City Limits reported that City Hall did not immediately respond to requests for comment and that the administration has framed hotel conversions as a short-term response to intake changes at Bellevue.
