FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM JULY 6, 2017 • THE QUEENS COURIER 19
Astoria contractor suspended after accident
BY ANGELA MATUA
amatua@qns.com / @AngelaMatua
A contractor that has racked up 14 violations
Photo by Robert Stridiron
Nonprofi t that aims to give jobs to homeless New
Yorkers moves headquarters to Long Island City
BY ANGELA MATUA
amatua@qns.com / @AngelaMatua
A nonprofi t that provides jobs and career
training to people who struggled with
homelessness moved to Long Island City
this week.
The Association of Community
Employment Programs for the Homeless
(ACE) celebrated its 25-year anniversary by
moving to a bigger space at 30-30 Northern
Blvd. ACE, a nonprofi t created in 1992, has
helped approximately 2,500 New Yorkers
secure full-time jobs. Th e nonprofi t runs
initiatives such as Adult Basic Education, a
vocational rehabilitation program, and gives
participants access to aff ordable housing.
Previously located in Manhattan, the ACE
Center for Workforce Development moved
to a 7,100-square-foot space in Queens that
includes two classrooms for job training and
education, a computer lab with 20 computers
and a kitchen and common space.
Several Queens elected offi cials have
worked with ACE to provide jobs to clients
who clean and beautify major streets
in Long Island City, Astoria, Woodside,
Jackson Heights, Corona, East Elmhurst
and Forest Hills. Recently, Senator Jose
Peralta allocated $75,000 to hire two ACE
clients to clean Roosevelt Avenue.
“Th e opening of ACE’s Center for
Workforce Development in Long Island
City, Queens means greater access to
life-changing, job-skills training for men
and women who are homeless,” said
James Martin, ACE executive director.
“We are proud to now call Queens home
and look forward to giving back to this
great community. ”
ACE’s programs include Adult
Education Program, Project Comeback,
Project Stay and Project Home.
Adult Education Program off ers classes
and workshops in literacy, numeracy,
computer profi ciency and job readiness
and life skills development.
Project Comeback is a four- to sixmonth
vocational rehabilitation program
that provides recovering homeless individuals
with skills and supported work
experience.
Once clients graduate, they are provided
with support groups and one-on-one counseling
with a certifi ed rehabilitation counselor
through Project Stay. Monthly recreational
events are also held to reunite with
ACE staff .
Some graduates are also provided
with a three-year rent subsidy and have
to pursue education or job training in
return as part of the Project Home.
Photos courtesy of ACE
ACE offi cially moved its headquarters to Long Island City on June 27.
and was at the scene of a construction
accident that left three workers
trapped under rubble in Astoria last week
is now suspended from working in New
York City.
Th e Department of Buildings suspended
the registration of Ideal Builders and
Construction, along with construction
superintendent Fazal Hassan. Th e company
has been issued 14 public safety violations
in the last two years and though there
were no injuries on their construction sites
prior to the incident on June 20, the city
ruled that the company poses “an unacceptable
risk to workers and the public.”
Th e accident occurred on the aft ernoon
of June 20 at 31-25 28th Rd., where
Hassan and his team were adding another
fl oor to a two-story house. Th e DOB
found that the fl oor collapsed aft er
Hassan allowed cinder blocks and heavy
construction materials to be loaded on
the third fl oor without getting an engineer’s
assessment on the structural stability
of the fl oor, which the city’s construction
codes require.
During a press conference at the site,
Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro said
that a crane was moving an array of
building materials when they suddenly
dropped, trapping the workers.
“One individual with serious injuries
had removed himself from the building,”
Nigro said. “Another was trapped, and
was removed earlier in the operation. A
third construction worker was trapped
under a few thousand pounds of materials
in the basement of the building.”
Th e city also found that Hassan was
working as a construction superintendent
on more than 10 buildings at the time of
the accident. Under city law, superintendents
can only oversee a maximum of 10
jobs at the same time.
“Cutting corners on the job site and
improperly loading excessive weight on
the third fl oor caused the collapse that
pinned three workers last week,” said
Buildings Commissioner Rick Chandler.
“Mr. Hassan and his fi rm neglected their
duties on this and other construction
sites and showed disregard for the lives
of workers and the public. Bad actors in
the construction industry need to get the
message: the city will not tolerate those
who endanger people’s lives.”
A contractor was suspended after a construction accident that left three workers trapped.
