FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM APRIL 15, 2022 • THE QUEENS COURIER 8
Queens lawmakers call on city to terminate contract housing
Rikers detainees at the Wyndham Hotel in Fresh Meadows
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
CMOHAMED@SCHNEPSMEDIA.COM
@QNS
Four Queens lawmakers are calling on the
city to terminate its contract with the Wyndham
Hotel in Fresh Meadows, which has been
used to house more than 100 released detainees
from Rikers Island during the COVID-19
pandemic.
Last week, Congresswoman Grace Meng,
Senator Toby Ann Stavisky, Assemblywoman
Nily Rozic and Councilwoman Linda Lee sent
a letter to Mayor Eric Adams and to New York
City Comptroller Brad Lander demanding the
contract be terminated and the hotel return to
its original use.
In the spring of 2020, without any notifi cation
or consultation, the city moved Rikers
inmates as a precaution against COVID-19 into
the Wyndham Hotel, located at 61-27 186th St.,
which is located in the lawmakers’ districts.
“Everything about this process has been
opaque — from the siting of the venue, the
choosing of the vendor, the increases of millions
of dollars for the contract or even how
long the city planned to use this site,” the
lawmakers said in the letter.
In March 2020, the Mayor’s Offi ce of Criminal
Justice (MOCJ) was working with the Offi ce
of Emergency Management to provide secure
and stable housing to those leaving the city’s
jail system without a place to stay. A nonprofi t
organization called Exodus Transitional Community
is under a city contract to provide wraparound
services, including case management,
job placement, meals and assistance fi nding
permanent housing.
While she supports the mission of Exodus
Transitional Community, Rozic said the arrangement
and the city’s lack of oversight have
been too disorderly for far too long.
“Let’s be clear: this program was operating
under a false security company and a sexual
assault was alleged during that time. Th is is the
last straw,” Rozic said.
Local elected offi cials were initially informed
that the hotel’s continued use would be temporary
and the program would end concurrently
with the state of emergency created by the
pandemic.
Last month, a series of reports by the news
outlet THE CITY exposed that a participant of
the program alleges she was sexually assaulted
by an Exodus employee. Th e reports also shared
fi ndings that the program was operating with
an unlicensed security vendor operating
illegally. Th is led to criminal charges being
referred to the state attorney general and the
Queens district attorney.
In response, Adams ordered a review of all
pandemic emergency contracts and last week
Lander rejected the $40 million renewal of the
contract, asking the mayor’s offi ce to resubmit
a new contract.
Based on these revelations, the end of the
state of emergency, and New York City’s commitment
that this housing arrangement would
be temporary, the elected offi cials believe now
would be the best time to terminate the contract.
Stavisky applauded Lander for rejecting the
most recent renewal of the contract.
“Th is process has not been transparent from
the beginning and it has led to a number of unfortunate
events,” Stavisky said. “Th e residents
of Fresh Meadows deserve better and the city
needs to keep their promise to the community.”
According to Meng, the renewal of the contract
at the Wyndham Hotel directly prevents
residents of Fresh Meadows from living in a
safe neighborhood.
Photo via Google Maps
“Comptroller Lander knew the danger this
renewal could have on the community and was
smart to oppose it. Although the contract is
still in place through the end of June this year,
I encourage the mayor and his administration
to void it in order to keep the Fresh Meadows
community safe,” Meng said.
Before she took offi ce to represent Council
District 23 in eastern Queens, Lee said she
heard from the community about the problems
that have plagued the Wyndham Hotel from
the beginning.
“If run with transparency and proper
community engagement, this program
could have helped keep people safe during
the pandemic. However, the latest news has
irreparably damaged what little trust is left
in our neighborhood,” Lee said. “Th e fact
that the security company Wyndham had
promised the community was a fraudulent
enterprise is unconscionable.”
The Wyndham Hotel in Fresh Meadows
“The residents of
Fresh Meadows
deserve better and
the city needs to keep
their promise to the
community.”
— Senator Toby Ann Stavisky
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