9. Bowery Branch YMCA, 8 East Third Street

A faded, obscured ghost sign in the East Village reads, "Bowery Branch YMCA, Men Welcome, Lodging, Meals, Employment."
Bowery Branch YMCA, 8 East Third Street

The Bowery was rife with drinking, gambling and homelessness when the Bowery Branch YMCA opened here in 1915. A bulletin board in the lobby listed the services it provided: “Wholesome food, bath, physical examination, clean bed, clean clothes, barber service, social times, employment, credit until pay day, encouragement, dormitory, religious meetings, educational classes, reading room, helpful recreation, new friends, savings account, self-reliance.”

A photograph from 1910 shows men standing in a bread line on the Bowery.
Bowery men waiting on bread line, 1910. Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, Bain Collection

The Bowery Branch YMCA was a pioneer in providing this help to homeless men. YMCAs at the time routinely offered only reading rooms, religious services and some recreational activities. On the wall facing an alley is a narrow painted sign partly covered by a large pipe. The sign reads, “Bowery Branch YMCA, Men Welcome, Lodging, Meals, Employment.” The sign survives although the YMCA sold the building to the city in 1947. Today Project Renewal offers assistance to homeless men at the site.