2 JANUARY 20, 2022 RIDGEWOOD TIMES WWW.QNS.COM
Holden calls for investigation into Glendale homeless shelter
BY JULIA MORO
EDITORIAL@QNS.COM
@QNS
After years of alleged wrongdoing,
Queens City Councilman Robert
Holden has called on the city to
thoroughly investigate the Cooper
Rapid Rehousing Center over breach
of contract claims.
The homeless shelter, located at 78-16
Cooper Ave. in Glendale, is owned by
Westhab, a private organization contracted
by the Department of Homeless
Services (DHS). According to Holden,
the Cooper Avenue shelter must provide
employment services, broker
outreach and life skills programming,
but has not followed through.
The shelter opened in February
2020 and only operates at half capacity
due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite
this, a staggering 71 arrests and 853 911
calls have been made at the shelter’s
location, according to the lawmaker.
Holden sent a letter to New York City
Comptroller Brad Lander on Wednesday,
Jan. 12, asking him to audit the
shelter.
“DHS, the city, the Bill de Blasio administration
has broken almost every
promise,” Holden said. “They said this
would be an employment shelter, and
it’s not. It puts a lot of stress on the limited
resources of the 104th Precinct.”
Holden has openly criticized former
DHS commissioner Steven Banks for
corruption and poor oversight of his
agency. Banks has come under fi re after
multiple reports revealing the city’s
fumbled contract with a nonprofi t that
allowed the company to profi t extensively
from the transaction. According
to reports from the New York Post,
over $4 billion in city funds has gone
to scandalous shelter operators.
Holden attempted to get data on how
many men were living in the shelter,
along with other indicators on how
the facility was functioning. However,
Holden claimed he was stonewalled
and unable to receive any information.
“DHS has illegally kept information
from me,” Holden said. “They’re not
transparent. I can’t get this information;
that means they’re covering
things up. They’re covering up
how incompetent and how poorly
run DHS is. Steve Banks should be
investigated.”
Holden said it is upsetting to know
that homeless shelters like the Cooper
Avenue facility are so mismanaged
that people would rather stay on the
streets.
Victor Lopez, who stayed at Harry’s
Place shelter in Bedford-Stuyvesant,
Brooklyn and spoke to QNS about his
desire to stay at the Hungry Monk shelter
in Ridgewood, said that he would
instead take his chances on the street
rather than stay in a city-run homeless
shelter. The 59-year-old said he never
felt safe in Harry’s Place shelter.
“It’s terrible,” Lopez said. “It’s crazy
in there. Why would they put me in a
shelter like that? I didn’t give anyone
any trouble. I’m out here trying to get
better and get help, not to fi ght with
people.”
Holden pledged that even if it takes
fi ling a lawsuit against DHS, he will get
the information he is seeking.
QNS reached out to DHS for comment,
but did not receive a response
by publication time.
Councilman Robert Holden QNS fi le photo
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