FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.couriersun.com OCTOBER 8, 2015 • THE COURIER SUN 11 Women’s homeless shelter to open at site of LIC hotel BY ANGELA MATUA amatua@queenscourier.com @AngelaMatua The second homeless shelter in New York City erected during Mayor Bill de Blasio’s tenure will open its doors as soon as Oct. 9 in Long Island City. The Verve will be located at 40-03 29th St., the site of the Verve Hotel, and will serve 200 single women. The shelter is opening in response to a 9 percent increase in single adult women coming into the system, according to the mayor’s offi ce. Community Board 1, which includes parts of Long Island City, is home to one other shelter, Westway in East Elmhurst. The shelter will provide several onsite support services including clinical services for mental health treatment, health and home coordination, supportive housing and employment services. Programs will include money management and independent living skills. De Blasio’s offi ce held a meeting on Friday, Oct. 2 to notify community members about the opening. Florence Koulouris, district manager for Community Board 1, A women’s homeless shelter will open in Long Island City at the site of a former hotel. attended the meeting after her offi ce got a call late Thursday informing her that a homeless shelter was being placed in CB 1’s jurisdiction. Koulouris was told that the shelter could open as soon as Oct. 9 or on Friday, Oct. 16. The services and staff will be provided by the Acacia Network and the average stay for each woman will be 11 months. The shelter, located near Growing Up Green charter school, is also 2.5 miles away from Westway. Koulouris said THE COURIER/Photo by Angela Matua the location of the shelter is “a little troublesome” since it’s in a residential area. “We want these woman to be comfortable. We want them to have a new start,” Koulouris said. “Is this really the right location?” The facility will be supervised around the clock and will have security staff stationed on all six fl oors, including the courtyard. The front entrance to the shelter is equipped with an X-ray scanner, hand wand scanner and three security personnel. All fl oors and public spaces are monitored with cameras, and staff at the operations reception desk will oversee two large video monitors from inside the front lobby. The De Blasio administration has invested more than $1 billion over the next four years to address homelessness. There are currently 57,237 individuals in the city’s shelter system, including 12,316 single adults “We’re seeing more single adult women entering our shelter system and we want to ensure we can provide shelter and services – including employment services and clinical services – to these women as they rebuild their lives,” said Ishanee Parikh, city hall deputy press secretary. As of Tuesday, Oct. 6, The Courier noticed that guests were still entering and exiting the Verve Hotel. Great rates like ours are always in season. 18-Month CD 1.15%APY* At Flushing Bank, we’re small enough to know you and large enough to provide you with the great rates you’re looking for. Hurry, an offer like this can’t last forever. For more information and to find out about our other great offers, visit your local Flushing Bank branch, call 800.581.2889 or visit www.FlushingBank.com. $5,000 minimum deposit * New money only. APY effective September 23, 2015. Annual percentage yield assumes principal and interest remain on deposit for a full year at current rate. Minimum deposit balance of $5,000 is required. Funds cannot be transferred from an existing Flushing Bank account. Premature withdrawals may be subject to bank and IRS penalties. Rates and offer are subject to change without notice. Flushing Bank is a registered trademark
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