GET THE LATEST NEWS UPDATED EVERY DAY AT QNS.COM
Feb. 22-28, 2019 Your Neighborhood — Your News®
THE NEWSPAPER OF FLUSHING, AUBURNDALE, KEW GARDENS HILLS & FRESH MEADOWS
75 cents
Queens pols blast city for shelter spending
BY JENNA BAGCAL
Northeast Queens
officials are seeking
financial transparency from
Mayor Bill de Blasio as the
fight against the College
Point shelter continues.
State Sen. John Liu,
Councilman Paul Vallone,
and state Assemblyman Dan
Rosenthal gathered in front
of the proposed site at 127-
03 20th Ave. on Feb. 14 and
asked that the mayor disclose
a full financial breakdown
of the costs of the men’s
shelter proposal.
At the Feb. 11 budget
hearing in Albany, de Blasio
ensured that the city is doing
everything in its power
to reduce costs to house
the homeless population.
According to the city’s budget
director, the Department of
Homeless Services (DHS)
budget is $2.1 billion, with
$1.25 billion going toward the
sheltering of 61,000 homeless
individuals.
“That equates to roughly
$20,000 for a homeless person
being sheltered,” Liu said.
The lawmakers argued
that the numbers reported by
the city’s budget director did
not add up to the numbers DHS
reported back in December
at a town hall meeting. DHS
Commissioner Jackie Bray
reported that the shelter
(From l. to r.) State Assemblyman Daniel Rosenthal, state Sen. John Liu and City Councilman Paul
Vallone urge the mayor for answers. Photo by Jenna Bagcal
project would cost about $9
million to house 200 homeless
men each year. She said that the
cost would cover housing each
shelter resident in addition
to shelter services, employee
salaries, maintenance and
transportation.
“That equates to $45,000
per bed. That is far out of line
with the citywide average of
$20,000; in fact, it’s more than
double what the city’s paying,”
said Liu.
“Once again, the city’s
approach to the homelessness
crisis falls short of the mark,”
Rosenthal added. “Not only
is the proposed College Point
shelter an ill-advised decision
for the community and our
vulnerable populations, it is
fiscally irresponsible.
According to information
from DHS, the cost to house
the 200 homeless men would
be far less than $45,000 a year.
Rent for the property would
be $2.8 million, which equals
about $14,200 per person
per year.
Since the beginning of
the shelter conversation,
opponents have criticized the
building’s landlord, David
Levitan of Liberty One Group,
for his lack of transparency
when filing the permits for
the building. Vallone said
that Levitan never used the
word “shelter” and indicated
that there were only going
to renovate the inside of
the building.
“The testimony this week
from the mayor just further
amplified the conversation
we’ve been having as to our
opposition to any owner
making a sale for profit on the
backs of communities,” said
Vallone. “By David Levitan’s
own admission, he profits
about a thousand dollars per
homeless person per month. It
seems that business is good.”
The officials added
that they would continue
working with local civic and
advocate groups including
A Better College Point and
the College Point Civic and
Taxpayers Association.
“The unity is there and we
will help any of the groups,”
said Vallone. “Any way you
can oppose it, we’ll be there.
There’s so many different
branches of that opposition but
we will help that opposition.”
TimesLedger reached out
to the mayor’s office and is
waiting for a response.
Reach reporter Jenna
Bagcal by e-mail at jbagcal@
qns.com or by phone at (718)
224-5863 ext. 214.
Vol. 28 No. 8 60 total pages
NEW YORK FAMILY
Come and meet the Camp Directors
March 2, 2019, 12-3pm
LONG ISLAND CITY
��������������������������������������������������������������������
Register Today at NewYorkFamily.com/Camps
/QNS.COM
/qns.com
/Camps
