Manhattan’s Upper West Side has become a flashpoint in efforts to help homeless New Yorkers, with some residents pushing back against a new facility that’s dedicated to being a “safe haven” for people who were living on the streets.

Corinne Low, the executive director of the Open Hearts Initiative, is the woman behind the project that has sparked a fight. Low joined Errol Louis to explain the philosophy behind her project, where people can have either private or semi-private rooms, and why she considers that approach more effective at connecting homeless New Yorkers with services and permanent housing than traditional shelters.

Low also discussed how she thinks people’s perception of safety is often much different from the reality, and why she was driven to start the Open Hearts Initiative in the middle of a pandemic.

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