{"id":979378,"date":"2026-08-04T04:55:53","date_gmt":"2026-08-04T04:55:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/979378\/"},"modified":"2026-08-04T04:55:53","modified_gmt":"2026-08-04T04:55:53","slug":"mounds-of-trash-and-foul-smells-pervade-lower-manhattan-as-homeless-takeover-fdr-drive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/979378\/","title":{"rendered":"Mounds of trash and foul smells pervade Lower Manhattan as homeless takeover FDR Drive"},"content":{"rendered":"

Local residents and workers are decrying a homeless takeover<\/a> under the FDR Drive<\/a>, where mountains of trash, foul smells, and fights are regular occurrences.<\/p>\n

According to locals, the parking area under the highway from 17th Street to 23rd Street has become a massive homeless shelter. Those who live in the Stuyvesant Town\u2013Peter Cooper Village area say the sight of people sleeping on torn blankets and mattresses tugs at their heartstrings, and they wish the city would do more to help their plight.<\/p>\n

Still, while they worry about their unhoused neighbors, they are also concerned about health hazards posed by piles of trash left by the FDR dwellers.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cThe trash is my problem because it\u2019s not hygienic,\u201d a local who gave her name as Amy said. \u201cIt\u2019s really, really bad. Like crazy bad.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

Upon investigation, amNewYork found strewn debris made up of torn clothing, plastic bags, and other items blanking the parking area, much of which had been pushed under cars. Strong odor accompanied everything from discarded footwear and broken umbrellas to sofas, light fixtures, and bookshelves. Even some tiny homes made of wood and traffic barriers could be found.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"\u201cThe trash is my problem because it\u2019s not hygienic,\u201d a local who gave her name as Amy said. \u201cIt\u2019s really, really bad. Like crazy bad.\u201dPhoto by Dean Moses \"\"\u201cThe trash is my problem because it\u2019s not hygienic,\u201d a local who gave her name as Amy said. \u201cIt\u2019s really, really bad. Like crazy bad.\u201dPhoto by Dean Moses \"\"Several individuals also created their own living space in between the Murphy Brothers Playground and the FDR entry ramp, opening a fire hydrant and breaking open a fence. Inside, spoons and toothbrushes are laid out under large plastic tarps just beside where children play. Photo by Dean Moses<\/p>\n

Several individuals also created their own living space between the Murphy Brothers Playground and the FDR entry ramp, opening a fire hydrant and breaking open a fence. Inside, spoons and toothbrushes are laid out under large plastic tarps just beside where children play.<\/p>\n

According to a worker at the nearby Skyport Marina, the area under the FDR drive remained closed off for several years due to the East Side Coastal Resiliency Project, a measure intended to safeguard the area from flooding. However, since the construction was completed, those sleeping rough have taken shelter there.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is just a big trailway. The further you go, the more homeless people you see. The construction has gates up, and now people are doing anything to get in there. People are fighting to get in there; it\u2019s first-come, first-served; it\u2019s several of the fittest. It\u2019s a f**ked up situation,\u201d Tre\u2019Shon Coleman said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have seen a man standing there with no legs on two crutches trying to get money, that shows you what it takes to live in New York City,\u201d Coleman added.\n<\/p>\n

\"\"A homeless man sits on dirty blankets under the FDR Drive.Photo by Dean Moses \"\"A man works shirtless under the FDR Drive.Photo by Dean Moses \"\"A seat under the FDR drive.Photo by Dean Moses<\/p>\n

According to sources within the Department of Homeless Services (DHS), cleanup operations took place at the loading on June 22 and July 27, with another expected this week.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cDHS outreach workers have conducted consistent engagement at this location \u2014 offering shelter and other resources to New Yorkers experiencing unsheltered homelessness. Outreach workers will keep going back to offer support to any New Yorkers in need ahead of another cleaning operation scheduled for this coming Thursday,\u201d a DHS spokesperson said. \u201cWe recognize this area has been impacted by quality-of-life issues, and we remain committed to addressing the community\u2019s concerns while ensuring that we are offering suitable placements for any individuals experiencing unsheltered homelessness in this area.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite the ongoing efforts to address the issue, local families say they are both concerned about the welfare of those living in squalid conditions and their children being close to the hovels.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cTrash brings more rodents,\u201d a young mother said, who asked not to be identified. \u201cThe issue is also the homeless shelters, their conditions, and overcrowding.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\"\"Homeless individuals opened a fire hydrant.Photo by Dean Moses \"\"A mattress under the FDR Drive.Photo by Dean Moses \"\"A makeshift home.Photo by Dean Moses<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Local residents and workers are decrying a homeless takeover under the FDR Drive, where mountains of trash, foul…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":979379,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[5122],"tags":[5229,95068,58093,9619,5249,405,403,5226,5225,5228,5227,67,586,132,5230,68,2969],"class_list":["post-979378","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-york","tag-america","tag-dss","tag-fdr-drive","tag-homeless","tag-manhattan","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-newyork","tag-newyorkcity","tag-ny","tag-nyc","tag-united-states","tag-united-states-of-america","tag-unitedstates","tag-unitedstatesofamerica","tag-us","tag-usa"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/117035468030969028","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/979378","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=979378"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/979378\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/979379"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=979378"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=979378"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=979378"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}