New York Daily News:
A Manhattan hotel rolled out the welcome mat for hundreds of homeless men on Friday, offering them spacious digs with sweeping views of the East River as part of an effort to ease crowded conditions in city shelters amid the continuing coronavirus pandemic.
The men, some of whom shivered in the unseasonably cold May temps, formed a line that stretched around the block as they waited patiently for hours to get checked in to the luxurious Bentley Hotel on the Upper East Side.
With their personal belongings stashed in big black bags, the men stared up at the soaring glass building and marveled at their rare piece of good luck.
“We get our own room, bathroom (and) amenities,” said Jeffrey Johnson, 44, who came from a Harlem shelter run by the DOE Fund, a non-profit that helps formerly incarcerated people re-enter society.
“This right here was a great move. It’s pretty much a luxury hotel,” he added, as he stood in a mild drizzle waiting for his turn to step inside.
