DESK Gets Ready To Move On Up

In order to operate a soon-to-be-renovated four-story hub of meals, healthcare, and gathering for unhoused clients, Downtown Evening Soup Kitchen (DESK) is going to need an elevator.

And in order to dig an elevator shaft, the organization first needs to shore up the foundation of the parking garage next door.

DESK is seeking an easement from the Board of Alders to gain permission to bolster the structure of the State Street Parking Garage at 270 State St., which is operated by the New Haven Parking Authority. The homeless services non-profit received a favorable recommendation for the easement, and a commitment to accelerate the alders’ review process, from the Community Development Committee on Wednesday night.

DESK bought 266 State St. in 2020 and has since operated a drop-in center in the building’s ground floor: a place where anyone can stop by for a cup of coffee, a temperature-controlled place to rest, guidance on finding housing and other resources, and the support of community members who often know first-hand what it’s like to lack a reliable place to live. (The drop-in center has temporarily relocated to 57 Olive St. during the renovation.)

The organization is now undertaking a $3.9 million renovation project so that it can expand to the building’s basement and second and third floors. 

DESK plans to move its Temple Street food operations, where it has distributed ​“grab and go” dinners since the pandemic and formerly ran an indoor soup kitchen, to the second floor of 266 State St. On the third floor, the organization plans to house a Cornell Scott Hill Health Center clinic, a flexible space for other organizations to use, and a shower. And the basement is slated for office and storage space.

The elevator is a critical part of the renovation, said DESK Executive Director Steve Werlin after the committee meeting, because ​“one of the guiding principles is accessibility.” The elevator will make every floor of the building available to clients, including clinic patients, who are unable to climb stairs.

Another aspect of ​“accessibility,” Werlin explained, is ​“visibility.” The State Street building has brought DESK a street-level presence, in contrast with the basement of the Center Church Parish House at 311 Temple St. where the organization’s soup kitchen has been based for over three decades.

In a presentation to alders, Mario Granata, a project manager with the PAC Group, explained that DESK needs an easement for ​“structurally supporting the parking garage” in order to build the elevator shaft.

“Because we’re gonna be digging down deeper than the bottom-most portion of the parking garage’s structure, it involves some structural work to shore it up,” he said. This work, Grenata explained, involves gradually adding a total of 18 feet of additional concrete below ground.

The garage work is ​“all subterranean,” said Werlin. ​“There will be no visible changes once the work is done.”

He requested that the committee expedite the alders’ review process so that the project can be ​“completed by the time winter comes,” when many DESK clients will urgently need a warm place to go during the day.

The committee alders agreed to request ​“unanimous consent” for the easement at the upcoming Board of Alders meeting on the first Monday of July, which would enable immediate approval if no alders object.

“I think it’s a good idea, especially to have it be ready by winter,” said Fair Haven Alder Frank Redente.

The entire 266 State St. renovation is slated to be completed in October, Werlin said.