FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM FEBRUARY 13, 2020 • THE QUEENS COURIER 25
Judge dismisses lawsuit seeking to halt Glendale homeless shelter
BY MAX PARROTT
mparrott@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
A judge on Feb. 7 dismissed a
lawsuit fi led by a group of Queens
residents in November claiming
that the city did not conduct
the proper environmental review
for the proposed homeless shelter
at 78-16 Cooper Ave. in
Glendale.
Th e lawsuit sought an injunction
to halt the city’s plan to develop the
building into a 200-person homeless
shelter.
Manhattan Supreme Court Justice
Carol Edmead found that the plaintiff
s misinterpreted the environmental
review process and denied the
lawsuit entirely.
The judge added that the
Department of Homeless Services
had conducted its own environmental
assessment study, which found
that locating a homeless shelter in
the subject building will not have a
“signifi cant environmental impact,”
and would authorize the project to
proceed.
“Petitioners/plaintiff s’ fail to identify
any authority to support the
proposition that a ‘city-wide’ review
is required before DHS may initiate
any homeless shelter development
projects,” wrote Edmead in her
decision.
In response to the news, DHS
spokesperson Isaac McGinn said the
agency would be proceeding as soon
as possible with opening the facility.
“Today’s ruling is a win for New
Yorkers experiencing homelessness
who will now have the opportunity
to get back on their feet at this
high-quality employment shelter,”
said McGinn.
Th e DHS’ celebration may have
come prematurely, though, as the
Supreme Court appeal is just one of
two legal avenues that shelter opponents
have pursued to stop the project.
The Glendale-Middle Village
Coalition also fi led objections with
the Department of Buildings that
the shelter would violate its current
zoning requirements. T h e
Council speaker pitches proactive plan to address NYC homeless crisis
BY MARK HALLUM
mhallum@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
City Council Speaker Corey Johnson
has his own vision combatting the homeless
crisis, and many New Yorkers will be
breathing a sigh of relief that it does not
involve more shelters.
Johnson revealed his recommendations,
contained within a light, 200-page plan,
that includes reforming the voucher program
in a way that will complement new
housing laws which require developers
set aside 15 percent of units for homeless
individuals.
Th e “comprehensive” plan developed by
the speaker’s offi ce, unveiled at a Jan. 30
rally in front of City Hall, recommends
that the city increase voucher amounts
to a more realistic amount for housing in
the city and restructure some government
bureaucracies to focus solely on homelessness.
“We have been working on this plan
… for the last 18 months,” Johnson said.
“We have to take immediate steps like
increasing the rental voucher amounts to
get folks out of shelter and into permanent
housing. Right now vouchers are not
enough to cover the rent for nearly everyone
who has a voucher … the vouchers
expense someone, or a family, who fi nd
a two-bedroom apartment for less than
$1,580. Th ere is no place in New York
where you can fi nd a two-bedroom apartment
for less than $1,580.”
One way in which Johnson recommends
adjusting things in the mayor’s
offi ce: establishing a deputy mayor dedicated
strictly to homelessness.
Th e speaker criticized the de Blasio
administration’s “blind spending” toward
the Department of Homeless Services
which he said has increased by 100 percent
over the last fi ve years. Housing a
family of four in a shelter costs the city
$5,900 a month, Johnson said — or $8,200
a month in a hotel.
Johnson’s plan looks similar to
Assemblyman Andrew Hevesi’s Home
Stability Support bill, which would open
up government subsidies for those on the
verge of homelessness. It’s considered by
supporters as a cheaper, more effi cient
alternative to shelters.
Th e de Blasio administration is regarded
among critics as taking a reactive
approach to homelessness — namely by
building shelters in community boards
throughout the city, and placing people in
hotels as a stop-gap measure.
Mayor Bill de Blasio did not take part in
the rally led by Johnson, himself a mayoral
hopeful — and, in fact, walked past the
rally before it started without engaging.
Th e de Blasio administration defended
its years of work to build-out shelter
infrastructure and close down two-thirds
of cluster sites in a statement to amNewYork
Metro.
“Th rough unprecedented investments
in legal services and housing resources,
we’ve helped more than 140,000
New Yorkers secure permanent aff ordable
homes, all while driving down evictions
by over a third and overhauling
our shelter system,” said Avery Cohen, a
spokesman for the de Blasio administration.
“With our Journey Home Plan, we’ll
be taking this progress even further —
pledging to bring every last person experiencing
long-term homelessness off our
streets over the next fi ve years. We look
forward to continuing our collaboration
with the Council as we do everything we
can to bring more people home.”
Cohen said the administration has
slated 63 borough-based shelters, 30 of
which are currently operating since taking
offi ce. Evictions also are down 30 percent,
according to the administration.
Nathylin Flowers Adesegun, herself
homeless at the time, gained notoriety
aft er confronting de Blasio about his
administration’s handling of homelessness
and supported Johnson’s recommendations.
“What ultimately solves homelessness is
simple: housing,” Flowers said.
Photo by Mark Hallum
Nathylin Flowers Adesegun, Council Speaker Corey Johnson and Councilman Stephen Levin announce
recommendations for a new approach to solving homelessness.
group is still waiting on a denial letter
from the DOB aft er applying last
year, and followed up by fi ling again
more recently with a diff erent attorney.
Councilman Robert Holden pointed
out that the Cooper Avenue site
has been fl agged by the Department
of Buildings as a result of the objections.
“As of Feb. 3, the building plans
are revoked due to numerous objections
submitted to the Department
of Buildings and Board of Standards
and Appeals. Th ese objections will
stand if the applicants do not fi gure
out how to resolve them. Th is fi ght
is far from over,” Holden said in a
statement.
DHS dismissed the DOB objections
as a standard part of the construction
process. A spokesperson
said that they expected them to be
resolved promptly.
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