On Thursday, St. John’s Church, located at the Canterbury House senior residence on Staten Island, announced they are no longer going forward with their plan to provide shelter for asylum seekers.
The cancellation of this plan to house migrants comes after members of the church faced pressure from local government such as Staten Island Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, Borough President Vito Fossella, others who recently sent a letter to the church saying a shelter in the Canterbury House basement would violate several legal agreements and zoning/fire codes.
“The proposed plan to house over 50 migrants between the ages twenty-two and twenty-five is a slap in the face to your senior residents and the community which is entitled to a shared elderly daycare center that is open to all residents. We will use all legal measures at our disposal to ensure that you uphold your contractual agreement and moral obligation made to these seniors and to our community,” the letter read.
In a statement, the church’s reverend, Rev. Hank Tuell characterized the collective pressure from government and the local community as threatening and aggressive.
“While we were working to fulfill our duty to feed the hungry, care for the sick, and welcome the stranger, I received disturbing threats from anti-immigrant groups, who were sadly encouraged by several of our officials. Our commitment to serving those in need remains steadfast, and we will continue outreach programs that focus on providing assistance to those facing hunger, offering care to the sick, and creating a welcoming environment for all,” Tuell said.
Malliotakis’ spokeswoman, Natalie Baldassarre, responded to Tuell’s statement released on Thursday, claiming he mischaracterized the officials that are opposed to the plan.
“We take exception to his mischaracterization that those opposed to his plan are anti-immigrant. Those opposed are pro-legal immigration, pro-senior citizen and pro-taxpayer,” Baldassarre said.
Several of the current residents of the Canterbury House also expressed concern with the plan and sharing living space with migrants, despite the fact that Rev. Tuell assured them that their shelter would have been separate from the senior’s living quarters, and none of them would have been displaced.
This is not the first time that local reactions from the community and government have pressured projects designed to care for homeless asylum seekers into shutting down. Just a few months ago, protests from Staten Island residents and the officials led to the St. John’s Villa Academy cancelling its plans to give a bed and shelter to migrants in need.
The original plan of St. John’s Church would have been to situate the migrants in the church parish hall. Eccleston Hall is located within the Canterbury House basement where some of St. John’s events take place, according to the church’s website.
“We will continue to embody the principles of love, understanding, and service that define our spiritual journey- including forgiving those who attacked our community for trying to take care of our neighbors,” Tuell’s statement read.
St. John’s church has conveyed that it had a moral and ethical obligation to help those facing crisis and continues to assert that they won’t stop trying to help those in need.
