FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.qns.com JUNE 9, 2016 • THE COURIER SUN 29 oped letters & comments ELMHURST SHELTER HAS BEEN ‘ABYSMAL FAILURE’ Since day one, the conversion of the Pan American Hotel in Elmhurst into a homeless shelter has been an abysmal failure in terms of transparency. The de Blasio administration and the Department of Homeless Services (DHS) blatantly disregarded various laws and even circumvented procedures to ensure the landlords and Samaritan Village receive their lucrative contracts. Despite publicly admitting that the Pan Am hotel was not a suitable facility to become a family homeless shelter as it lacks a kitchen in each unit, DHS and Samaritan Village began smuggling homeless families into the building back in May of 2014. Local elected offi cials and the community board were notifi ed weeks later when it was already a “done” deal and no input or objections could be voiced. As the contract was awarded under an emergency declaration, Samaritan Village was spared the scrutiny of its misappropriation of almost $1 million in state funds. The landlords were not required to clear violations with “Class-1” severity or install necessary fi re alarm upgrades in order to accommodate potentially 216 families with children for the long run. After foiling the details of the contract under the Freedom Of Information Law (FOIL), Elmhurst United has discovered something even more egregious. Mayor de Blasio wants to use government money to fund the installations of kitchens so the landlord can qualify as a legitimate family homeless shelter. Taxpayers are already paying $3,700 a month to house homeless families of three or four people in a room no larger than 250 square feet. Now de Blasio wants to go give the landlord an additional $3 million to fulfi ll critical requirements as a family homeless shelter. This is ludicrous as taxpayers’ money should not be used to subsidize or bail out a “for profi t” enterprise. For the Pan Am homeless shelter, there seem to be more questions than answers on the conduct of the Mayor’s Offi ce. Why is de Blasio so accommodating and hell-bent in awarding 7900 Development LLC and Samaritan Village this contract? There needs to be oversight and adherence to laws and regulations regarding monies spent. Anna Orjuela, Elmhurst NO ROOM FOR A BULLY IN PRESIDENTIAL RACE New Yorkers have a reputation of being streetwise and tough, and we are. We learned about getting a “thick skin” in public school where we intermingled with kids of all colors, shapes and ethnicities and we had to make our way. Bullies grow up. Some change their behavior, some don’t. Older bullies usually get into trouble either with the law, their careers or their family because of their quick mean tempers and mistreatment of others. Bullies act out of raw emotion and fear, not from reason or rationale. They make enemies. Donald Trump is a guy who never outgrew his bullyness. Evidently his stint in military school, where parents send their problem kids for hopeful reform, only sharpened his aggression. Not only does he use his size, foul mouth and behavior to bully others, but he uses his money to clobber them, too. A bully without money is just a thug. A bully with money is somebody to watch out for because his money affords him power and buys silence when needed. “The Donald” gained celebrity status with his TV shows, as the nation tuned in to watch him ruthlessly fi re people who didn’t cut it. He became the symbol of toughness in many eyes. If all of the “Trumpisms” about race, Muslims, women, the handicapped, captured veterans, Mexicans and the like came from Joe Blow a non-celebrity, that person would be laughed off stage and not taken seriously. But since they come from Trump the celebrity, he gets a “bully-free card” and has attracted enough followers to become the Republican nominee for president after bullying all of his opponents out of the race. “Trust me folks” politics falls way short of what is required of our next commander-in-chief. When somebody says “trust me,” we street-wise New Yorkers know we have to watch out. Tyler Cassell, Flushing ELECTION DAY NOT FIT FOR THE WEEKEND Regarding moving Election Day to the weekend: This really makes no sense at all. We have weekend early voting that is hardly utilized by voters. Moving Election Day to a weekend only lowers voter turnout because people will make other plans outside of their voting precinct. Tuesday is fi ne because people are already out and will pass their polling places on their way home. Maybe extending polling hours would be helpful. There are already laws that allow a person to leave work to vote without being fi red. Of course they would not get paid for that time but they could have voted early. QNS user Joan Ludvik DETECTION IS CRITICAL TO STOPPING HEP-B When I was 26 years old, I learned I had contracted hepatitis B when I was required to undergo medical exam for an employment (so depressed I wasn’t hired and the doctor had to write in big words, ‘not fi t to work’ on my medical result clearance). It was my fi rst time to be tested with that kind of blood work, so I have no idea when I contacted hepatitis B virus. My husband and I are the only ones who knew about my situation. I am so embarrassed and ashamed because hepatitis B is considered as an STD, like the infamous AIDS/HIV. My husband has no hepatitis B (thankfully) but I fear that even with his hepatitis B vaccine, he will get my disease, though doctors assures us he is safe from me. I always sleep longer than usual on weekends, always tired, often experiences tummy ache, sometimes unexpected skin itchiness/rashes, arthritis, irregular bowel movement and am temperamental. But today, I am totally cured with the help of a clinic. QNS user Seiders Gary Lee FOR MORE NEWS VISIT QNS.COM English profi ciency is key to immigrant success BY MELISSA MARK-VIVERITO In New York, providing support for our immigrant communities is personal. Four out of 10 city residents are immigrants and collectively contributed close to $260 billion to the Big Apple’s economy in 2015. What is more, a majority of immigrant New Yorkers belong to mixed-status families composed of U.S. citizens, legal permanent residents and undocumented residents. They are integral to our broader society, a fact too often overlooked by many. So it is unfortunate to see that the Mayor’s Executive Budget fails to provide adequate support for the growing needs of our immigrant communities. To ensure we open the doors to opportunity, my colleagues and I are strongly urging the administration to invest $16 million for English literacy, adult education and GED preparation, as outlined in our Response to the Preliminary Budget. Between 2000 and 2011, neighborhoods with the highest concentrations of immigrants had stronger business growth than the rest of the city. Immigrants have helped revitalize neighborhoods such as Coney Island, Corona, Elmhurst, Flushing, Jackson Heights, Washington Heights and many others. Building capacity for immigrant New Yorkers is critical, and to do so, they need to have access to adult literacy programs. Gaining profi ciency in English is essential to securing job opportunities and to participation in the civic, social and economic life of this city. Nearly 25 percent of immigrant residents speak little or no English, yet at any given time, more than 14,000 individuals are on waitlists for English literacy and education programs. Low adult literacy has an outsized impact on parents, their children and their communities. Limited English profi ciency traps immigrants into low-paying jobs and puts a strain on their ability to support their families and move ahead economically. Their children reach school with an English-language defi cit. Currently, of the 140,000 English Language Learners in our public schools, the majority are U.S. citizens born to immigrant parents. Poor English-language profi ciency also affects parents’ ability to get involved with and advocate for their children’s education. Although English-language profi ciency is not a requirement to apply for DACA and Expanded DACA, there is an educational requirement that can be met if you are enrolled in an Adult Literacy Program that meets certain criteria. This can be signifi cant to the estimated 16,000 to 24,000 undocumented residents in New York City, who may be eligible for these deportation relief programs. There are 1.8 million immigrant New Yorkers who require the tools necessary to ensure they can thrive and, like previous generations, contribute to keep New York the great immigrant city that it is today, and will continue to be tomorrow. Their success, our success, rests on their ability to take full advantage of being New Yorkers. There is no other option. Melissa Mark-Viverito is the City Council speaker.
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