From the Daily News:Community opposition has torpedoed a proposal to turn a western Queens motel into a full-time shelter for homeless families.
Elected officials and local leaders had urged the city to reject Housing Solutions USA’s proposal to transform the Westway Motor Inn into an around-the-clock shelter. The facility straddles the border of Astoria and East Elmhurst.
The city Department of Homeless Services announced Friday that the agency has no plans to change over the facility.
“The Westway is just not the proper location for a homeless population,” said City Councilman Peter Vallone Jr. (D-Astoria). “The area surrounding it is made up of one- and two-family homes.”
The former hot-sheets motel has been a shelter for years, much to the dismay of the community, local leaders said. Families in need of emergency housing are currently bused to the facility in the evening and they leave in the morning, city officials said.
“This has been an issue for as long as I can remember,” Vallone said. “The solution may be to have somebody buy it and tear it down.”
Vallone said he is working with a developer interested in building homes on the site.
6 comments:
Vollone probably allowed this hotsheets motel to operate in the first place!
Of course he is workinw with a developer isnt he always they are lining up for paul in bayside as well
better more homes than a welfare dump i guess
Yes, I want to live next to Grand Central Parkway in the middle of nowhere - don't you?
again, the poor are shoved away.
More Not in my backyard stuff.
Just be thankful your not in their position.
i have an idea
mike sais knows evan stavisky
lets make him governor
It's no suprise that all of these "motorway" or "airport" hotels are primarily used to promote prostitution. Any half decent politician will oppose such a practice and most politicians, democrats, republicans, socialists etc would follow in line with this theory. No surprises with this argument my fellow Queens Crappers.
The issue is that this particular hotel has been used as a homeless shelter as well. The community, not just the politicians, opposes this plan. Should we blame them? I certainly do not blame them. Who wants their children to be exposed to drug addicts, thus drugs, criminals, prostitutes etc? And in such close proximity to a middle class residential community.
However, I think it's really unfair to target the homeless and unfortunate families that must live in such a way. The blame IS with the politicians for not creating a meaningful dialogue for a sustainable plan for the homeless in the City of New York. If it's not at the Westway, it must be somewhere else. Any ideas?
Post a Comment