Last Friday, a Bailey Avenue drop-in emergency shelter scrambled to find a place for its clients, after being told they would suddenly have to stop operations just days before a heatwave.
But by Monday night — a judge had ruled the shelter, Sylvia's House, could remain open for now, while their case is heard in court.
“The court found that the balance of equity tips in the favor of Sylvia’s House until a full hearing can be conducted," said Todd Schiffmacher, the supervising attorney for Neighborhood Legal Services' Housing Unit. NLS is representing Sylvia's House and one of their clients.
"The people who use the services at Sylvia’s House have little to no other options to find the essential services provided at Sylvia’s House," he added. "If it closes, many vulnerable people would be forced to live on the streets,"
Sylvia's House contends, in their petition submitted to the court, that they had not previously been required to have permits and was not provided time or advance notice to remedy any alleged violations.
The petition notes that the cease order impacted nearly "50 homeless occupants, most of which suffer from severe physical and mental disabilities."
They also allege the city had not inspected the premises and "did not even ask to come in" when they arrived on June 19, 2025.
BTPM NPR did reach out to the City of Buffalo Permits and Inspections Services for any inspection records for the address from 2024 and 2025, and was told the only document on file was a violation letter from June 18.
The abrupt cease order came on June 19, or Juneteenth, a federal holiday. This was just a day after the violation letter was sent to the church Sylvia's House is within.
The violation letter, obtained by BTPM NPR, lists four city and state ordinances or codes they found the building to be in violation of, including two regarding permits. However, the letter only says “be further advised that it is your responsibility to arrange for the correction of the above-stated violations within 30 days from the date of this notice.”
However, the next day, Sylvia's House was told they'd have to stop operating. It was only after workers pushed back that they were given 24 hours, until Friday at noon, to vacate.
“We get a lot of drop-offs from the hospitals, and those individuals have medical needs,” said the director of Sylvia’s House, Felicia Cruz, on Friday morning. “I have individuals that have cancer, that are homeless, and so all these people are going to just be displaced.”
By Friday afternoon, BTPM NPR learned Erie County, who helps fund the shelter, was working with the city to provide alternative lodging to the clients. However, the county did not elaborate on what kind of setting would be offered or for how long.
Acting Buffalo Mayor Chris Scanlon said Friday the order came about due to issues city inspectors have with permits and code.
"We have to make sure first of all that the people in the building are safe. That's one of the major concerns," said Scanlon. "Lack of license, permit, no inspection. We don't know if that it is fully safe for people to be in there. As well as some additional activity that's been taking place over there that's been negatively impacting the neighborhood."
