Exclusive | West Village residents blast churchs plans to build mission for junkies, vagrants: Were losing the Village

West Villagers are up in arms over a church’s plan to build a new $11 million mission at a historic NYC street corner, arguing it would lure even more junkies and vagrants to the already besieged area.The Church of St.Luke in the Field’s plans to erect a 4,400-square-foot building on the iconic corner of Christopher and Hudson streets — on the same block as a swanky school — complete with Narcan kits and free meals, to serve up to 300 hobos and drug addicts.Residents were not feeling charitable towards the scheme, which still needs to go in front of Manhattan’s community board, who’ll issue a recommendation to the city whether to green-light construction.Some fear the mission will devolve into a shooting gallery for junkies in broad daylight.“There is absolutely no way to justify a safe injection site within blocks of three schools,” raged West Village resident Kathleen Walters.

Not only is there a school on the church’s grounds — St Luke’s elementary and middle school — but there are two other schools around the corner — PS3 Charrette school across the street on Hudson and the West Village Community School one block away.And that’s got parents fuming.“What’s been frustrating is that multiple parent groups and neighbors have tried to open a dialogue with the church about safety, scale, and transparency — especially given the proximity to several schools —and those efforts have been met with silence,” said Cameron Neilson.Neilson called a petition, which has garnered more than 500 signatures, a “last resort to get heard” given the church’s silence.Crime in the West Village skyrocketed 80% in 2022, continuing to climb through 2024, when major felonies surged to 1,789, up 16% from 2019.

Residents have since begged for more cops from the 6th Precinct to patrol the streets.The church plans to have Narcan — used to reverse opioid overdoses — readily available for potential overdoses, train staff on dealing with addicts and...