WWW.QNS.COM RIDGEWOOD TIMES FEBRUARY 20, 2020 3
Cooper Ave. shelter opens in Glendale
BY MAX PARROTT
MPARROTT@SCHNEPSMEDIA.COM
@QNS
A week after a judge dismissed a lawsuit
aimed at halting construction of the proposed
homeless shelter at 78-16 Cooper
Ave. in Glendale, the Department of Homeless
Services (DHS) sent out a statement that the
shelter had opened Friday.
After hearing the news last week, the group
of Glendale residents who had launched the
legal challenge still hoped that they could stop
the construction through objections they filed
with the Department of Buildings (DOB) alleging
the proposed shelter would violate its current
zoning requirements.
A DHS spokesperson said Friday that those
issues have been resolved over the last week.
“Today, we proudly open our doors at the Cooper
Rapid Rehousing Center, the first and only
transitional housing facility in the Maspeth/
Glendale community, which is now providing
high-quality shelter and dedicated employment
services to single adult men experiencing homelessness
as they work hard to restabilize their
lives. We look forward to welcoming and supporting
more neighbors in need at this location
over the next few weeks. Working together with
service provider Westhab and the community,
through collaborative support and compassion,
we’re confident that we will make this the best
experience it can be for these individuals as they
get back on their feet.”
The facility welcomed about 10 individuals on
its opening day. It will gradually increase the
number of residents over the coming weeks, according
to the DHS.
The agency is also in the process of setting up
a community advisory group that will act as a
communication bridge between residents and
the facility.
Once established, the group will provide a
phone line for the community to call.
Meanwhile, Councilman Robert Holden, who
has rallied against the shelter, along with the
Glendale-Middle Village Coalition, said in a
Facebook post Friday evening that the fight to
keep the shelter out of Glendale is not over.
“When my chief of staff, Daniel Kurzyna, spoke
with Deputy Commissioner Matt Borden of the
DHS, he was told that they moved in men last
night without a contract because Comptroller
Scott Stringer had given the green light and the
contract ‘was ready to go.’ When contacting the
Comptroller’s office, we were told that no contract
had been registered or signed and that what
the DHS was doing was not approved by them,”
Holden wrote.
“I spoke directly with DOB Commissioner
Melanie La Rocca and her staff earlier today and
asked how and why the property was granted a
temporary certificate of occupancy, considering
there is an ongoing audit of the plans and permits,
with fourteen challenges, two of which are safety
issues. The DOB claims that they did their due
diligence in granting the temporary certificate of
occupancy and will continue the audit,” Holden
continued.
“Considering the challenges that the Glendale-
Middle Village Coalition filed would likely delay
the full shelter from opening by six to twelve
months, the DHS opted for placement using a
temporary certificate of occupancy. This is the
DHS’s disgraceful attempt at circumventing the
legal process that is currently underway from
the Glendale community. No contract has yet
been signed, and there are still legal actions on
DOB grounds. This fight is not over, despite the
DHS acting as a rogue agency and usurping laws,
regulations, and process,” he wrote.
The former factory at 78-16 Cooper Ave. in
Glendale is shown undergoing renovation in
this April 2019 photo.
Photo: Robert Pozarycki/QNS
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