The shelter provider at the former Pan Am hotel has gotten a six-year contract extension from the city — despite saying it can't build the mandatory kitchens for each unit because it can't get a loan to fund construction.
Samaritan Village Daytop's Boulevard Family Shelter got its extension bid approved by the city's Human Resources Administration on March 17, as well as an additional $10.5 million through the end of June — which includes $4.8 million for rent at the former hotel.
That brings the total contract amount for the shelter to $26,431,554 each year — but still doesn't include the cost of building kitchens in each of the rooms, which last year was part of the mandatory requirement before a contract extension could be approved.
The city said last year that it will pay for the renovations needed to turn the shelter into a Tier 2 facility, and Samaritan Village was required to lay out a timeline for the work.
Samaritan Village has been delayed since it hasn't been able to receive a loan "due to the lack of registration for this work," a letter states.
A Department of Homeless Services official said work on the 216-room hotel's kitchens will begin this July, with 100 units finished by July 2018. The rest will finish by 2019. it was not immediately clear where the money for the kitchen construction would come from in light of the operator's issues with getting a construction loan.
4 comments:
They never had any intent to provide this amenity. 10.5 million could have gone to NYCHA instead of this scandalous non-profit (an organization in recent years has become an oxymoron.
Queens Blvd. is inundated with homeless hotels and also vacant condo buildings. The former St. John's hospital still remains unused.
These are truly dark days...
Kitchens are not an "amenity" at this facility -- they are a mandatory requirement; so why does the city let this contract continue ? nepotism may have gotten them the contract, but if they can't deliver the services, the contract should be terminated. And if it is not, why not ?
This was just to keep people off the street. Kitchens were not even thought of. On Queens Blvd there are plenty of fast food places and diners for these people to eat at so of course hotels seem suitable.
Pan American is a huge eyesore of the Blvd.
They are making a killing on the tax payer dime. When their done raping the system a real estate deal will me made.
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