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Midtown drop-in hub for homeless New Yorkers shutters after after city ends contract
By
Karen Yi
Published Jul 3, 2026
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By
Karen Yi
Published Jul 3, 2026
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A Midtown drop-in center for homeless New Yorkers to grab a meal, rest for a few hours, or sleep overnight has shuttered after 35 years, following the city’s decision not to renew its contract.
The closure of the Mainchance drop-in center this week comes as dangerously hot temperatures choke the city and officials warn New Yorkers to limit time outdoors.
It’s also the second homeless facility to close in the neighborhood; the Mamdani administration announced earlier this year that it would close the Bellevue men’s shelter on 30th Street and relocate its intake services downtown next month.
“ It's the only drop-in center, and frankly with Bellevue closing, it's the only place in the East Side of Midtown that provides such services,” said Marc Gross, who chairs Mainchance’s board and represented the organization in its legal fight to stay open.
“ What's going to happen to these clients with whom we had long-standing relationships? I just don't know.”
Mainchance, located at 120 East 32nd St., closed its doors Tuesday when its contract with the city’s Department of Homeless Services ended. The nonprofit challenged the city in court over its decision not to renew its contract but didn’t succeed before its funding stopped June 30.
Mainchance said most of its budget came from city funding, about $3.8 million annually, and without a contract, they had no choice but to stop offering services.
In court papers, city officials said the facility was not an effective or efficient use of city resources since it did not provide people with beds. The city said its goal was to place people in shelters where they could sleep overnight and ultimately move them into permanent housing.
Nicholas Jacobelli, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeless Services, said the city needed to invest in programs and facilities best suited to serving street homeless New Yorkers.
“We are appreciative of the decades of service Mainchance has provided to New Yorkers and will ensure that all clients are connected to services, including nearby drop-in centers, and appropriate shelter placements,” he said in a statement.
Drop-in centers offer chairs for people to rest but not overnight beds. City officials said homeless New Yorkers in the area could instead go to drop-in centers on 14th Street, 52nd Street or West 30th Street.
“I’m very upset about it,” said Councilmember Gale Brewer, who pushed the Mamdani administration to keep Mainchance open and also fought the former Adams administration, which wanted to close the site two years ago.
“ I don't think these folks are going to go to downtown or way over to the West Side,” she said, adding that some of the sites were at capacity.
Brewer and other local and state lawmakers wrote a letter to Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Department of Social Services Commissioner Erin Dalton late last month urging them to reverse their decision to end services at Mainchance, calling it an “ill-considered, shortsighted and poorly timed move.”
More than 82,000 people are sleeping in shelters across the city, and street homeless numbers are at record highs.
Mainchance representatives said the drop-in facility gave people flexibility to stay for a night or a week while they bounced between homes or figured out their next step. They were open 24 hours and served three meals a day, feeding 300 people and providing 72 chairs for rest. About a third of the clients relying on Mainchance were women.
Social workers and case managers also worked to place homeless New Yorkers in shelters or permanent housing programs.
Gross said Mainchance had submitted a proposal to the city years ago to convert the site into a Safe Haven but had not heard back.
City officials said two vans will be stationed outside Mainchance 24 hours a day through next week to catch anyone seeking services and direct them to other locations and resources.
Tagged
economy
homelessness
new york city
Karen Yi
Karen Yi covers homelessness and poverty. She joined the WNYC and Gothamist newsroom in 2020. Before that, Karen covered Newark for the Star-Ledger and spent almost a decade working for newspapers in New Jersey and Florida. She grew up in Miami and has a dog named Cashew. Got a tip? Email [email protected] or Signal 917-589-1460.
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