3 College Point shelter meeting upsets residents
Town hall with Department of Homeless Services fails to provide answers for community
QUEENS WEEKLY, DEC. 23, 2018
BY JENNA BAGCAL
The Department of Homeless
Services (DHS) faced the
residents of College Point at
a shelter town hall meeting
Monday night that left protesters
with more questions than
answers.
Hundreds of residents filled
the auditorium at PS 29 on Dec.
18 to see what DHS had to say
about the impending singlemen’s
shelter at 127-03 27th Ave.
Dozens more people who could
not get into the ticketed event
once the venue reached capacity
waited outside in the cold,
as the entrance was guarded by
local police officers.
DHS representatives were
joined by nonprofit homeless
services provider Westhab
for the town hall. Much of the
information — including the
number of beds and shelter
security — had already been
shared by DHS First Deputy
Commissioner Jackie Bray at
the College Point Civic Association
meeting weeks before.
Protesters, which included
College Point residents as well
as neighbors in Whitestone,
Flushing and Bayside were
asked to sign up to ask questions
and responses from DHS
and Westhab elicited “boos”
and jeering from the crowd of
irate residents.
“Those who are most vulnerable
amongst us need somewhere
to lay their head, they
need somewhere to receive
services, they need somewhere
with people who are committed
to their second chance,”
said Bray.
College Point resident Denise
Zayas — who is legally
blind — said she does not feel
safe with a homeless shelter being
put up in the community.
“Westhab isn’t answering
911 calls and I do not feel that
you can keep us safe,” Zayas
said. “So it’s not fear that you’re
hearing, it’s anger at the fact
that no one consulted us.”
“DHS has an incredibly
tight relationship with
the NYPD. Our security is
managed and overseen by
the NYPD,” said Bray, who
added that the agency coordinates
with local precincts
and police officers for all of
their shelters.
College Point residents made sure their concerns were heard at the town hall with DHS. Photos by Jenna Bagcal
Vice chair of Community
Board 7 Chuck Apelian
questioned the legality of
the shelter being built in a
manufacturing district.
“You’re building this in a
manufacturing district. It’s an
M1 and in a manufacturing
district, residential use is not
allowed at all,” said Apelian.
“Transient use is allowed
in an M1 zone. This is transient
use,” said Bray. “We have
opened shelters for years in M1
zones and DOB Department of
Buildings has approved them
for years. What we’re doing is
consistent with that”
Local politicians in attendance
at Monday night’s town
hall included City Councilman
Paul Vallone, state Assemblyman
Dan Rosenthal and state
Senator-elect John Liu, who,
until yesterday, had been noticeably
absent from shelter rallies
and conversations.
The former New York City
comptroller said he was concerned
with the economics involved
in opening up the shelter
after Bray shared that the entire
shelter contract would cost approximately
$9 million annually.
This would include housing
each shelter resident, services,
maintenance, transportation
and employee salaries.
“Somebody is making a lot
of money off this deal,” said
Liu. “People understand that
there is a homeless crisis going
on in this city, but you gotta do a
better job. And you gotta think
about how many more people
you would have been able to
serve with the $9 million if you
had put it in a more efficient location
and made sure that the
deals were put together in the
right format.”
“You guys are here, sent by
the mayor, to take the bullets
for him,” Liu added. “Well, you
know what? We’re not blaming
you personally, but the city has
to be held accountable for this.”
Residents have been protesting
against the shelter
since October when Vallone
confirmed that it would be
coming to College Point.
Residents came out in droves to voice their opposition to the proposed homeless shelter
coming to their neighborhood.