Two Queens nabes to get homeless shelters
Locations in Ridgewood and Glendale slated to house at least 330, according to DHS
BY MARK HALLUM
The Department of
Homeless Services (DHS)
is not only proceeding with
its years-long plan to open a
Glendale shelter, but will also
open a facility in Ridgewood
for homeless residents, the
agency told QNS.
News of the Glendale plan
broke on the evening of Aug.
22, as City Councilman Robert
Holden took to Facebook
to announce that the DHS
informed him of their plans
for 78-16 Cooper Ave., a once
dormant factory which
has undergone extensive
renovation in recent months.
The DHS confirmed to QNS
that they will, in fact, open two
shelters in the Community
Board 5 district over the
next year.
The Cooper Avenue site will
house 200 single individuals
who are currently employed or
seeking employment and open
in early 2020.
Holden said in an Aug. 23
press release that Westhab,
a service provider based in
Westchester County, will
operate the Glendale shelter. “A
significant portion of the men
housed at the shelter will be
from the now–closed Maspeth
Holiday Inn temporary
shelter, per DHS,” according
to Holden’s office.
The Ridgewood location,
located at a former factory
at 1616 Summerfield St.,
will house 132 families with
children with a late 2020
opening date.
Priority at both locations
will be given to those
originally from Community
Board 5, most of which is
represented by Holden, who
are experiencing hardship,
DHS said.
“Homeless New Yorkers
come from every community
across the five boroughs, so
we need every community
to come together to address
homelessness,” a DHS
statement read. “With zero
shelters in Queens Community
District 5, these sites will give
individuals and families with
children the opportunity to
get back on their feet closer to
their anchors of life. Working
together with neighbors and
not-for-profit service provider
partners, we’re confident
that these New Yorkers will
be warmly welcomed—and
through collaborative support
This location at 1616 Summerfield Street in Ridgewood is slated to house 132 homeless families,
according to DHS. Google Street View
and compassion, we will make
this the best experience it can
be for these individuals as they
get back on their feet.”
Holden claimed that he and
others would rally against
the plan to provide services
to about 330 in southwestern
Queens, which DHS claims
has no full service shelters at
this point in time.
“I along with other elected
have just been informed by
DHS that they intend on
moving forward with a shelter
in Glendale,” Holden said on
Twitter. “We’ll be meeting
with community leaders/
members in the coming days
to start planning how we as a
community will fight against
this irresponsible decision.”
A furious Holden blasted
the city on Aug. 23 for not
considering his alternate plan
to build a school on the site
instead of a shelter.
“I am disgusted with the
way City Hall does business
when it comes to housing the
homeless,” said Holden. “I
presented a strong plan to
have a new District 75 school
built on the Cooper Avenue
property and I was told by all
involved city agencies that
this was an ideal solution. But
as soon as DOE Chancellor
Richard Carranza got
involved, he decided it would
be better to continue wasting
our tax dollars and let the
District 75 special needs
students suffer in a century-old
building surrounded by heavy
truck traffic.”
Holden was a driving
force in the protests against
homeless shelters in Queens
during the 2016 demonstrations
in the midst of a homelessness
crisis. Since then, he has
used that influence, in part,
to successful unseat former
Councilwoman Elizabeth
Crowley in November 2017.
“I tried to fight against
this shelter the right way, by
negotiating with city agencies
and coming up with reasonable
proposals, only to have the rug
pulled out from under me,”
added Holden on Friday. “I
was told countless times that
DHS and SCA loved my plan to
build a new school on Cooper
Ave, and the Mayor’s approval
was all that was needed. But
the mayor recently told me he
knew nothing about the plan.
I’m sick of playing this game
with City Hall, so now I will
fight back the best way I know
how, with my neighbors by
my side.”
Among the complaints
against shelters in nearly any
part of the borough, critics
often point to the proximity of
facilities to schools or cite the
areas lack of accommodations
such as transportation or
grocery stores.
State Senator Joseph
Addabbo also vowed to
oppose what he deemed to
be “large scale” shelters in
favor of smaller facilities he
views as more appropriate for
the community.
“With my district on the
verge of having Mayor De
Blasio place a fourth large
population of homeless
men within its boundaries,
most recently proposed for
Glendale, I will continue to
oppose larger scaled shelters
with limited services and
inadequate transportation,
while advocating for smaller,
more community-appropriate
sites that would better serve
the homeless individuals in
need,” Addabbo said. “What
about utilizing city-owned
sites and properties for costefficient
modular housing as
done in other states? What
about developing abandoned
zombie homes and providing a
better living environment for
homeless families, especially
the children? I guess after
witnessing 5 years of the
De Blasio administration’s
treatment of the homeless
crisis, we may never know
the answers.”
As a counterbalance
to the approach taken by
critics, Catherine Trapani
at Homeless Services United
stood by the mayor’s plan to
provide widespread support
for the homeless population.
“Every New Yorker in need
has the right to safe, quality
shelter and every community
must share in ensuring that
right is upheld,” Trapani said.
“Homeless Services United
stands with homeless families
and individuals and looks
forward to continued progress
on the mayor’s plan to
transform the shelter system
and open new facilities when
and where they are needed.”
Josh Goldfein at Coalition
for the Homeless also issued
a statement of support for the
shelters which would situate
residents closer family, friends
and employment.
“Our clients come from
every corner of the City and
until there is enough affordable
housing for everyone, they are
going to need shelter in their
communities, where they have
support networks and jobs and
medical care.”
Since then, the Mayor’s
office has launched the
initiative Turning the Tide
on Homelessness which aimed
to examine the amount of
homeless by community board
and provide shelters as needed.
It will phase out all hotels and
cluster sites by 2020.
DHS, through service
providers, will not only give
residents on-site mental
health and medical services,
24/7 security with a minimum
of two guards will also be
in place.
According to DHS, there
are over 8,100 homeless from
Queens currently living
in shelters.
Reach reporter Mark
Hallum by email at mhallum@
schnepsmedia.com or by
phone at (718) 260–4564.
TIMESLEDGER,20 AUG. 30-SEPT. 5, 2019 QNS.COM
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