Separate_and_safe

"But ... but I thought they would be dumped on someone else," they fumed ... ──────────────── Residents of an Upper West Side building said they are “living in fear” after their landlord struck a secretive deal to move homeless and ex-cons into their quiet working-class complex. Members of the tenants association at 126 W. 86th St. said they were blindsided by the building’s agreement with the city that allows up to 30% of the 72-unit rent-stabilized units to be filled with hard-to-place adults – including active drug users and mentally ill individuals straight from the shelter system. “It is not an exaggeration to say that many tenants are living in fear for their safety,” the Tenant Association said in a statement. . . . . . Six tenants interviewed by The Post — all of whom refused to be named over fear of retaliation or losing their homes — said open-air drug use, trespassing and suspected prostitution are part of their daily lives. Pungent fumes from crack cocaine and meth billow through the vents and unstable residents routinely scream obscenities at all hours of the night, multiple tenants claimed. One of the placements has been arrested three times since moving into the building in 2024 – including twice for stabbings, tenants claimed. . . . . . The building is currently owned by a now-defunct church that used to operate across the street — St. Timothy’s and St. Matthews Housing Corporation. The city first took out a lien against the building in 2018 after the group failed to pay its property taxes. In 2023, the group transferred the deed of the building to become a Housing Development Fund Corporation, giving the city the rights to utilize it for affordable housing initiatives. In exchange, the city canceled the buildings’ over $2.3 million in property tax debt. That same day, the HDFC entered into a supportive housing agreement with the Department of Housing Preservation and Development — declining to inform tenants of the transfer. . . . . . The Article XI contract, which was approved by the New York City Council in 2024, also subsidizes the landlord for the placements with payments of up to $6,000 a month. All standard Article XI regulatory agreements require 10% of units for formerly homeless households. Residents charge that the agreement gives the landlord incentive to force [out] the building’s current tenants – many of who are elderly or work for the city as teachers and public servants. nypost.com/2026/11/02/us-new…