Marsha's House, NYC LGBTQ+ Shelter, Accused of Abuse and Neglect
spoke to NBC News in a new investigation. In addition, the investigative team from the network also relied on information obtained through court documents and Freedom of Information Law requests.
The findings uncovered years of alleged abuse, including sexual misconduct accusations against security guards and a former director.NYC DHS denied any knowledge of the misconduct by former residents and staff. “The health and safety of our clients and staff is our number one priority and we take all allegations seriously,” a department spokesperson told NBC. “We provide numerous channels for clients and staff to report problems, but these claims have never been reported and we have no evidence whatsoever to corroborate them.”Marsha’s House, located in the Bronx, opened in February 2017 where the poverty rate is over 40 percent.
The 81-bed shelter was a passion project for Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y., then the first openly gay New York City Council member from the Bronx.“This shelter can mean the difference between life and death for homeless LGBTQ young adults,” Torres said in a 2017 statement.
Torres later became the first gay Afro Latino elected to Congress and still represents the Belmont area. He declined to comment on allegations of wrongdoing at Marsha’s House.NBC revealed that New York City Police Department records show officers were called to Marsha’s House over 225 times from February 2017 to September 2021 — about once a week — including for at least five reports of felony assault during that time period.The story goes on to say that LGBTQ+ activists have spent years drawing attention to the problems at Marsha’s House, only to be brushed off by authorities.
