Indicted Mayor gives more millions to nepo non-profit homeless services provider for Glendale shelter

 

 NY Post

The city is planning to shell out $43 million to a politically-connected nonprofit, so it can continue running a notorious Queens homeless shelter that’s been bombarded for years by complaints of residents masturbating in public, using drugs and menacing neighbors, The Post has learned.

The 180-bed shelter for single men at 78-16 Cooper Avenue in Glendale has been the subject of 2,251 911 calls, 677 other emergency calls and 278 on-site arrests since Yonkers-based Westhab began operating it in January 2020 under a $60.1 million contract that expires June 30, according to data compiled by Councilman Robert Holden.

The moderate Queens Democratic fired off a letter to the Department of Homeless Services last week “strongly demand[ing]” it reject plans to extend the nonprofit’s deal through June 2028 and instead “permanently close” the Cooper Avenue Rapid Rehousing Center.

 “The failures at this shelter, compounded by Westhab’s ineptitude, have caused irreparable harm to Glendale and Middle Village residents and to the vulnerable individuals residing in the shelter,” he wrote.

The shelter’s second-floor bathroom has become a “notorious drug den” that Westhab “has taken no meaningful action’ to address, and local businesses claim shelter residents are driving away customers by loitering and aggressively panhandling.

“Children and parents have [also] been subjected to appalling incidents, including shelter clients masturbating in public” a few blocks away at Pinocchio Playground, the councilman wrote.

 

Glendale single men's shelter update

 

Looks like the men's homeless shelter on Cooper Ave. is growing corn. 

It's also growing outside lodging. 

 This is also the first time I ever seen the drive thru gate open. 

 

 

NYPD, DHS and homeless service provider cover up overdose death at Glendale warehouse shelter

 

QNS

Glendale residents who live only blocks away from the men’s shelter on Cooper Avenue are well-informed on the recurring issues emanating from shelter inhabitants.

A local business owner who spoke with QNS, who wished not to be identified, said although they’ve been fortunate enough not to have any problems with the shelter occupants, locals continue to complain about overall safety and trespassing on private property.

Residents who spoke with QNS emphasized more concerns over shelter residents seen walking into their backyards, asking for money and loitering in front of storefronts.

The recent death of a 25-year-old man inside the Cooper Rapid Rehousing Center, located at 78-16 Cooper Ave. in Glendale, amplified concerns from residents and Councilman Robert Holden, who is continuing to fight against the housing facility.

On Wednesday, Aug. 16, officers from the 104th Precinct responded to a 911 call of an unconscious person inside the Cooper Avenue shelter. When officers arrived, they were told a 25-year-old man was found unconscious and unresponsive. EMS responded and pronounced the man dead at the scene. Police have yet to release the name of the deceased.

According to information shared with Holden’s office, the deceased allegedly overdosed on drugs, but neither the NYPD nor the city’s Department of Homeless Services could confirm the cause of death when contacted by QNS.

“Protecting the health and safety of our clients is our top priority. We work to ensure that we are providing quality care and comprehensive security at our sites, and our provider-partner staff work closely with clients to help them stabilize their lives, a DHS spokesperson told QNS in a statement. “When we learn of any fatalities at our sites, even in cases of natural causes, we absolutely cannot make any immediate determinations and must defer to a medical examiner’s report to determine the cause of death. We have necessary processes and protocols in place to ensure we are doing our due diligence,”

Holden continues to hold former Mayor Bill de Blasio and former Department of Homeless Services Commissioner Steve Banks responsible for the shelter’s ongoing issues in the Glendale area. Holden once again called on the city to close the homeless shelter for good.

“Former Mayor de Blasio and the ‘Grim Reaper,’ former DHS Commissioner Banks, recklessly pushed this shelter, fully aware of its impact on my constituents’ lives,” said Holden. “WestHab’s involvement, driven by questionable affiliations, has only exacerbated the problems. Another overdose death underscores the urgency of shutting down this ill-conceived shelter — a decision that should have been made years ago.”

Assemblywoman's bill calls for environmental security blankets on cargo waste trains

  

QNS

Assemblywoman Jenifer Rajkumar alongside state Senator Joseph P. Addabbo Jr. celebrated the passage of a bill that would require freight trains carrying waste to cover their cargo at the New York and Atlantic Railway location on 68-01 Otto Road in Glendale. 

The assemblywoman held the event on Friday, June 23, with other local leaders as well as Mary Parisen Lavelle, chair of Civics United for Railroad Environmental Solutions (CURES) to urge Gov. Kathy Hochul to sign the bill (A4928/S2022) into law. 

Our legislation takes a major step towards overseeing waste by the rail industry, which has expanded for 15 years,” Rajkumar said. “As the waste by rail industry booms, expanding by 35% every year, it is time to take action to protect the health of the people of New York and our precious environment.”

Rajkumar’s office also fought to pass the bill in the legislature for seven years and those who’ve advocated for long-term action say they’ve been waiting for a lot longer. 

“It is with our deepest gratitude that we express our appreciation to both Assemblywoman Rajkumar and Senator Addabbo on their monumental accomplishment in getting state legislation passed to containerize waste on rail cars,” Lavelle said. “The victory we’re celebrating today belongs to them, it belongs to the residents, the civics, and Community Board Five. CURES has been working for the past 14 years to end this needless pollution in our neighborhoods, and in all neighborhoods, where this waste travels.”

Residents who live along the railway described the foul odors and general concern over the substances they were being exposed to by the uncovered waste freight.

MTA B13 reroute makes a transit desert on purpose

 

 QNS

A Glendale resident voiced her concern about the MTA’s proposed Brooklyn Bus Redesign that would impact the B13 route that runs through Queens during last week’s Community Board 5 (CB 5) meeting at Christ the King High School in Middle Village.

During the meeting, a letter from Glendale resident Deloris Bachmann was read in which she stated that the proposed changes along the B13 line would make it harder for her and other senior citizens who use that line to go anywhere. 

“This is a hardship for the many senior citizens and handicapped people who live in my neighborhood, not to mention an inconvenience in bad weather,” Bachmann said in the letter. “Without reliable bus service, how will be able to shop, visit doctors, go to Wyckoff Heights [Medical Center], visit friends, go to church or the library?”

The MTA revealed their Brooklyn Bus Network Redesign back in December that proposed the B13 reroute to the Ridgewood Reservoir and Cypress Avenue, which would eliminate stops along Cooper Avenue, Fresh Road Pond Road and Gates Avenue. 

“Queens is already a transit desert — why create another?” Bachmann said in her letter. “This plan may look good on paper, but the MTA has not considered the welfare of those who live along that line.”

CB 5 has reached out to the MTA in the past regarding the MTA Brooklyn Bus Network Redesign and getting reliable bus service to the Ridgewood Reservoir. In their letter to the MTA, CB 5 stated that the residents will be negatively affected by the proposed changes.

“The currently proposed B13 Bus route change is very likely to negatively affect bus riders in parts of Ridgewood and Glendale, Queens, who would, if the plan is adopted, lose helpful transit links to areas north and south of where they live,” the letter read.

CB 5 District Manager Gary Giordano told QNS that MTA needs to find a solution that would benefit both parties.

“They gotta find a way,” Giordano said.

Poverty pimping sister act

  

NY Post

Providing shelter is a family affair at the city Department of Homeless Services.

The firm of Homeless Service Administrator Joslyn Carter’s sister has been awarded 17 contracts with the agency valued at a staggering $1.7 billion, according to data compiled by city Comptroller Brad Lander’s office.

Carter’s sister, Valerie Smith, is vice president of New York City Housing programs for Yonkers-based Westhab Inc., which runs homeless shelters in the city.

She has been a top administrator there since 2017.

Seventeen of the social services contracts were awarded by DHS, many in recent years with Smith working at the agency as the city grapples with a record homeless population fueled by a massive influx of migrants from the southern border.

Three others were awarded by the Department of Youth and Community Development and two by the Department of Education, totaling $4.7 million.

Councilman Robert Holden (D-Queens) demanded an investigation by the Department of Investigation and Conflicts of Interest Board after hearing of the unusual sibling relationship involving the city homeless services honcho and a top contractor awarded business with the agency.

Holden griped numerous times about problems at a shelter for 180 single men run by Westhab on Cooper Avenue in Glendale in his district — including complaints of drug use, violence, masturbating in public and menacing neighbors — some of which were exposed in a CBS report last September.

He suspected something was amiss when he said he failed to get an adequate response from Westhab or the city homeless officials.

“The whole thing stinks to high heaven. Why is Westhab getting all this money?,” Holden said Sunday. “It looks like they have someone on the inside. They’re protected.”

“They’re not doing a good job at the shelter on Cooper Avenue. It’s a mess over there.”

In a Feb. 8 letter to DOI and COIB, Holden said, “I recently learned from a credible source that the Department of Homeless Services Administrator Joslyn Carter is the sister of Westhab’s Vice President of New York City Shelter Programs, Valerie Smith. I am concerned that immediate family members can work on the same contract despite a potential conflict of interest.”

He told the investigative and ethics agencies that there have been 1,500 calls to 911 for the shelter and 156 resident arrests.

“As you know, corruption and criminal acts often occur in the social service industry.

You're so cool Ridgewood

 

Queens Post

The Queens neighborhood of Ridgewood has been ranked by the annual Time Out Index survey as the fourth coolest neighborhood in the world.

The ranking was based on a poll of 20,000 city-dwellers across the globe who were asked about fun, food, culture and community. The outlet listed the top 51 coolest neighborhoods on the planet.

“Ridgewood, Queens sits close by the Brooklyn border, pulling in the best of each borough: the diversity and local vibes of Queens and the hip offerings of Brooklyn, specifically neighboring Bushwick,“ the outlet said in explaining its high ranking.

The magazine said Ridgewood is attractive given its mix of trendy bars and restaurants as well as its mom-and-pop stores. It also noted that the area has also retained much of its history—illustrated by its 10 historic districts and the rows of brick houses that line the streets.

The outlet also noted that Ridgewood has the oldest surviving stone-built Dutch Colonial house in New York City, dating back to 1709.

“Ridgewood’s identity, though, is old-school-meets-trendy with a mix of landmark staples, like Rudy’s Bakery and Gottscheer Hall, and buzzy new bars and restaurants like The Acre, Evil Twin and Café Plein Air. While (like all NYC neighborhoods) it’s constantly evolving, it keeps its past intact,” the magazine reads.

I'll save my audience the time to actually read Time Out's reason why Ridgewood ranks so high by pointing out the picture they chose to illustrate the neighborhood's "cool" quotient. It was a picture of the yard at Nowadays, which is actually located in not so cool Glendale. Whose proprietors opened it up near a superfund site.

 

Their patrons must not think its a big deal too since I caught Nowadays have their garbage hauled the early evening around 8 p.m. while people were chilling under the patio lights inside the yard.

I actually went there earlier this year to check out a DSA event being scheduled there and this is what I saw. A big private carting waste disposal truck taking out their trash while people were chilling outside in that dirty yard

Transplants are so fucking dumb. pic.twitter.com/tNzawoAG6A

— JQ LLC (@ImpunityCity) October 12, 2022

Glendale warehouse homeless shelter continues to be a pit of despair and violence

 

CBS New York 

 The rough conditions inside a Queens congregate men's shelter with about 180 residents have sparked a city investigation.

It comes after a 27-year-old man experiencing homelessness became a whistleblower, sharing photos, videos and his personal ordeal exclusively with CBS2's Dave Carlin.

"I never saw myself in a position like this, ever a day in my life, no," said the man, who wished to remain anonymous.

He moved to New York from Texas a year ago, landed a job in hospitality working fancy events, but the very opposite of that is where he's been sleeping.

"I make about $27 an hour with that company alone," the man said.

"And it's still too hard to find a place?" Carlin asked

"Yep," the man said.

So, he is experiencing homelessness, surrounded by apparent squalor, drug use and violence inside Glendale's Cooper Rapid Rehousing Center with a population of more than 180 men.

He started taking videos and photos of what goes on inside after being harassed and attacked.

"I do identify as queer," the man said. "I was assaulted multiple times. The police came out, they said it wasn't really their issue, it's something that has to be dealt with internally." 

He says he can confirm what many neighbors are claiming about crime spilling out of the shelter and into the community. 

"A lot of drug dealing happening around the area, people doing sexual activity over by the school right behind the shelter, and I've seen this all first hand," the man said. "I did my due diligence in finding my local city councilman and I reached out to him."

On Wednesday, Councilman Robert Holden made sure the young man was reassigned elsewhere to a hotel room.

"He's talented. We want to help him. He did a service to everyone in New York City, showing the conditions of the shelters," Holden said. "Get him an apartment, that's my goal, to get him an apartment."

"I know that something good will end up coming out of this," the man said.

Something good, according to Holden, is the city shutting down the Cooper Center.

"The mayor is looking at it. So is [New York City Department of Homeless Services] Commissioner [Gary] Jenkins," Holden said.

"This is supposed to be a working men's shelter, but time and time again, we have people that have severe mental illness ... that really don't fit with what the shelter was for," Glendale resident Dawn Scala said.

Holden favors facilities with smaller groups of residents so their needs can be handled more effectively.

"It's a de Blasio leftover. We need to change it ... I don't believe that we should put 200 men in one location," Holden said.

Glendale homeless shelter devolves into crime pit, as expected

 

QNS

The Cooper Rapid Rehousing Center has been a hot spot for crime in the Glendale area since it opened in 2020, with a staggering 808 911 calls and 71 arrests made. QNS received exclusive data regarding the operations at the shelter after Councilman Robert Holden demanded answers from the mayor’s office on its effectiveness.

There are currently 183 homeless men residing at the Cooper Rapid Rehousing Center at 78-16 Cooper Ave., none of which are from Community Board 5, Holden said. Most of the residents came from other boroughs.

Councilman Robert Holden has been a staunch opponent of the shelter since it was just an idea. Earlier this year, Holden called on the city to investigate the shelter, claiming it was not upholding its contractual obligations to provide basic benefits like employment services and life skills programming. 

“[Department of Homeless Services], the city, the Bill de Blasio administration has broken almost every promise,” Holden said. “They said this would be an employment shelter, and it’s not. It puts a lot of stress on the limited resources of the 104th Precinct.”

Holden has been battling to get data revealing the operations of the shelter, and finally after contacting Mayor Eric Adams himself, was able to get a look into the shelter’s efficiency. 

Of the 183 men living at the Cooper shelter, 52% of them are employed, according to data from the mayor’s office.

According to the city, they estimate about 64% of the unemployed men are able to work. The average stay for a resident is 314 days.

Since 2020, 71 arrests were made, mainly for assault. Most of the over 800 911 calls made were for an ambulance or a call for help.

 

D.O.T. makes red light steadier on Cypress Ave

QNS

The Department of Transportation (DOT) acted quickly Tuesday afternoon, installing safety measures at a notoriously dangerous intersection in Glendale after a gruesome video of a pedestrian being run over not once, but twice, went viral.

The pedestrian, a 57-year-old man, was struck on the corner of Cypress Avenue and Cooper Avenue Saturday, Feb. 12, when he fell to the ground survived being slowly run over by an SUV. The video was uploaded to Twitter last Monday and has already gotten over 625,000 views.

DOT installed an “all-pedestrian phase”— meaning all cars stop and pedestrians walk at the same time — at the intersection of Cypress Avenue and Cooper Avenue, Tuesday evening just after local elected officials gathered at the intersection calling for action. DOT also installed “delayed green” signage, meaning the light will not immediately switch green after the crosswalk signal turns red.

 A video taken by resident Mollie Lauffer shows the progress at the intersection.

 “The new crossing has nearly eliminated the constant honking there,” Lauffer said. “You can hear birds chirping. Cities aren’t loud; cars are loud."

Seems Ms. Lauffer doesn't mind ebike and moped riders running the longer red lights, but at least it'll be quieter when pedestrians get hit.  

 

D.O.T. commissioner plans to solve accidents on Cooper Ave with bike lanes after double hit and run

  

QNS

After a gruesome video showed a pedestrian being struck and run over by two cars, local elected officials and community activists gathered at that street corner in Glendale to call for better safety measures on Tuesday, Feb. 22.

On the corner of Cypress Avenue and Cooper Avenue Saturday, Feb. 12, at around 6:30 p.m., disturbing footage captured a 57-year-old man being struck by one car and falling to the ground as another car slowly runs him over. Last Monday, the video was uploaded to Twitter and has already gotten over 625,000 views. 

The man was found in the street in a pool of blood when he was transported to Jamaica Hospital; he is alive. According to police, a 40-year-old male initially struck the pedestrian while making a left turn from Cooper Avenue. The only action taken thus far has been a failure to yield issued to the driver of the first vehicle. 

Council member Robert Holden, who called the press conference Tuesday, said that the most dangerous aspect of his community is crosswalks. 

“That’s the most danger to life and limb in this precinct,” Holden said. “This is an area that needs attention. You don’t have to be here that long to realize this is a problem corner. There’s lawlessness that we need to correct, coupled with NYPD enforcement. It’s so important to get the necessary safety improvements right here and the rest of New York.”

Teenagers crash into car on Cooper Ave.

 

 

CBS New York 

This is some shitty ass reporting. Not one mention of the moped rider being too young to be riding a motorized vehicle, if that moped was licensed and registered or if he ran the red light. This is the type of less than half-assed journalism and fabricated agenda narrative you get from streetsblog

Delusional Adams wants to keep Steve Banks

Let's see the results of Steve Banks' DHS leadership. Taken outside the "Cooper Rapid Rehousing Center" in Glendale. Last year, DHS told us, "The shelter will serve 200 single men experiencing homelessness who are currently employed or actively seeking employment."

Do these guys look employable?

Great job, Steve!

Meanwhile, Patch is busy looking for "experts" to call Douglaston residents "NIMBY" for not wanting a shelter in their neighborhood. Gee, I can't imagine why they'd be opposed.

Homeless man prefers freezing elements and cold concrete than warmer but more dangerous city shelter

 

Queens Chronicle

A homeless man underneath the train tracks at Myrtle Avenue and Fresh Pond Road in Glendale, only a block from the Community Board 5 office, has been refusing help for weeks, area leaders say.

Myrtle Avenue Business Improvement District Executive Director Ted Renz called his presence there “an ongoing issue.”

Community members say the man, Pawel, has refused help.

The Rev. Mike Lopez of All Saints Church said the city has done some cleanups of the man’s belongings but that area residents continue to bring him food, money, coats and blankets.

“I think it comes out of a good place from people who don’t want to see him get hurt,” Lopez told the Chronicle Tuesday. “He’s a rather charming gentleman if you’ve ever had the opportunity to deal with him.”

But the residents might be hurting more than helping.

“Our hope is to bring them indoors. As long as they’re being supported with their needs it makes it much harder to bring them off the street,” Lopez said of homeless people, though he acknowledged telling residents not to help “is almost impossible.”

Lopez has known the man for five years. Lopez said Pawel, who is in his mid-40s, was a working member of the community, a carpenter by trade, who became homeless three years ago.

Lopez said Pawel has family but declined to discuss that any further.

“He knows his rights,” Lopez said. “He knows he can’t be forced away.”

Accepting outreach efforts is voluntary. In accordance with the state Mental Hygiene Law, street homeless New Yorkers cannot be involuntarily removed from the streets unless they pose a danger to themselves or others.

A spokesperson for the city’s Department of Homeless Services said nonprofit service provider Breaking Ground canvasses the area more than 20 times a week and actively engages 24 verified homeless individuals encountered on the streets in an effort to offer them services and get them indoors.

“As the weather gets colder, our outreach teams continue to be out across the five boroughs, implementing best practices, latest health guidance and Code Blue protocols whenever appropriate, as they engage unsheltered New Yorkers and encourage them to accept services,” DHS said.

Councilman Bob Holden (D-Middle Village) told the Chronicle he visited Pawel with his chief of staff, Daniel Kurzyna. Holden said he stayed back as Kurzyna, who speaks Polish, approached him.

“We don’t want to gang up on him,” Holden said. “Dan said he looked white as a sheet.”

The lawmaker wants to see the city invoke Kendra’s Law, which allows courts to order certain individuals with serious mental illness to stay in treatment for up to a year.

“I didn’t examine him but it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that if this man would rather live under the trestle than be in a warm room then he can’t make rational decisions,” Holden said, adding, “Obviously it’s the wrong decision to pick being outside in 20 degree weather.”

But Lopez said Pawel has had bad experiences in shelters.

“They feel that it’s safer to be on the street and they wanted to be connected locally to their communities and I think that’s one of the reasons he stays,” Lopez said.

The reverend believes the city needs to improve its shelter system.

“Can you imagine choosing to live on the streets of New York City in January over a shelter because it’s unsafe?” Lopez said.

CB 5 Chairman Vinny Arcuri said Pawel told him “he’s just waiting to die.”

Activists opposed to shelters protest in support of one

From QNS:

Supporters of Councilman Robert Holden hosted a rally on Tuesday, Sept. 22, to encourage him to run for mayor — but were met with protesters who called on him to resign his current post, instead.

About 50 supporters of Holden, who currently represents Council District 30 (which encompasses the Queens neighborhoods of Ridgewood, Glendale, Maspeth, Middle Village, Woodhaven and Woodside), gathered in front of the Maspeth Federal Savings Bank at 56-18 69th St. on Tuesday evening.

Shortly after the rally began, a group of about two dozen protesters set up across the street, many of whom were members of the Ridgewood Tenants Union.

Many of the protesters cited Holden’s support for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and his push to close the homeless shelter in Glendale as a reason to oppose his run.

Meanwhile, the leader of the RTU testified AGAINST the Glendale shelter last year... Also interesting to see Holden's opponent Juan Ardila standing with people - who welcome him with open arms - in support of a shelter in the district he's running in and claims to be opposed to.

So far, 20 arrests have been tied to the shelter.

It's going to be fun the next few months.

Profound, bro. 

JQ LLC: I don't want to spoil this party, or whatever this thing is (have some people singing and it'll be a woke version of Hair), but I think the lede was buried in this story to get obvious clicks.

 

  “I was humbled when I heard about this, and I certainly appreciate the support,” said Holden. “We have great people in District 30 and I’m focused on being the best Council member I can be. I plan to run for re-election to the NYC Council and will announce in the near future.” 

Sorry to all those that participated here, but this was a waste of time by both sides. 

Slash sign racism is quite deep also.

Con Ed telling Midwest Queens residents to stand the heat.

Con Edison

Con Edison is asking customers in certain neighborhoods in Queens to conserve energy while company crews repair equipment. Con Edison has also reduced voltage by 8 percent in the area as a precaution to protect equipment and maintain service as crews make repairs.

The area is bounded by the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway and 51st Avenue on the north, the Jackie Robinson Parkway on the south, Queens Boulevard on the east, and the Brooklyn borough line on the west.

The area includes 116,300 customers in the neighborhoods of Glendale, Forest Hills, Forest Hills Gardens, and Middle Village. Con Edison has asked customers in the area not to use energy-intensive appliances such as washers, dryers, microwaves and, if not needed for health or medical reasons, air conditioners, until the equipment problems are resolved.

Customers can report outages and check service restoration status at  
www.conEd.com/reportoutage, or with our mobile app for iOS or Android devices, or by calling 1-800-75-CONED (1-800-752-6633). When calling, customers should report whether their neighbors also have lost power. Customers who report outages will receive updates with their estimated restoration times as they become available.

Customers can follow Con Edison on Twitter or like us on Facebook for general outage updates, safety tips and storm preparation information.

The equipment problems in these neighborhoods have no effect on the rest of the Con Edison system.

Con Edison will provide updates to affected customers directly and through the media as the situation warrants. The company is in communication with New York City Emergency Management.


 Excuse me, but can't other "certain neighborhoods" conserve some energy too?

 

 

 

The homeless shelter warehouse in Glendale is not working out well

Queens Chronicle

 During last Wednesday’s community advisory board meeting regarding the homeless shelter at 78-16 Cooper Ave., a man knocked on the door of Councilman Bob Holden’s (D-Middle Village) office.

The man, a resident of the shelter, said he was strung out on heroin, according to Daniel Kurzyna, Holden’s chief of staff.

He was previously at a shelter in Brooklyn, where he was provided methadone to fight his addiction.

“He now does drugs, begs on the street, panhandles and harasses residents in the area when they walk past the shelter,” Kurzyna wrote in an email to Amanda Nasner, Queens borough director at the Department of Homeless Services.

Holden blasted the DHS in a statement.

“Placing this shelter in the middle of our community over our objections has done nothing but increase crime, drug use, and calls to the police, while decreasing the quality of life,” he said Monday.

The lawmaker, a longtime critic of the shelter, said DHS Commissioner Steven Banks should be fired and called service provider Westhab “inept” at operating the Glendale site.

“Hundreds of calls to police this year have taken already limited police staff away from the rest of the community,” Holden said. “This shelter is a total disaster for the residents and the surrounding community, as we always knew it would be.”

Glendale homeless shelter is open for business

Queens Chronicle

 It’s open.

After community residents voiced concern and anger repeatedly over the project, which was on-again and off-again for several years, the homeless shelter for 200 single men at 78-16 Cooper Ave. in Glendale has started receiving residents.

“Today, we proudly open our doors at the Cooper Rapid Rehousing Center, the first and only transitional housing facility in the Maspeth community, which is now providing high-quality shelter and dedicated employment services to single adult men experiencing homelessness as they work hard to restabilize their lives,” a Department of Homeless Services spokesperson said in an email Friday.

A Manhattan Supreme Court judge last week threw out a lawsuit filed by shelter opponents who said the city bypassed environmental reviews required for the project.
But Councilman Bob Holden (D-Middle Village), a longtime critic of the shelter, said his office was told last Friday that eight men had moved in “despite no contract yet signed nor the property having a certificate of occupancy.”

According to the lawmaker, his chief of staff spoke with the deputy commissioner of DHS and was told the men were moved in without a contract because City Comptroller Scott Stringer had given the green light and the contract was “ready to go.”

Holden said the Comptroller’s Office said that no contract had been registered or signed and that what DHS was doing wasn’t approved by the Comptroller’s Office.

A spokesperson for the Comptroller’s Office told the Chronicle that the office “had no communication with DHS before they moved people in and no contract has been submitted to our office.”

Holden asked Department of Buildings Commissioner Melanie La Rocca and her staff why the property was granted a temporary certificate of occupancy, “considering there is an ongoing audit of the plans and permits, with 14 challenges, two of which are safety issues. The DOB claims that they did their due diligence in granting the temporary certificate of occupancy and will continue the audit.”

A spokesperson from the DOB said safety issues from the audit were resolved on Feb. 12. On the same day, the applicants received a temporary certificate of occupancy after it was determined that the building was safe to occupy.

Holden said challenges filed by the Glendale-Middle Village Coalition would likely have delayed the shelter from opening for six to 12 months, which is why the DHS opted for placement using the temporary certificate of occupancy. The coalition filed objections on various grounds, including zoning and fire code. The next step for the coalition is the Board of Standards and Appeals.

“This is the DHS’s disgraceful attempt at circumventing the legal process that is currently underway from the Glendale community,” Holden said.

“No contract has yet been signed, and there are still legal actions on DOB grounds. This fight is not over, despite the DHS acting as a rogue agency and usurping laws, regulations and process.”

The DHS did not immediately respond for comment.

State Sen. Joe Addabbo Jr. (D-Howard Beach) spoke at different protests against the shelter. He found out about the opening from Glendale residents, not city officials.

“It’s been, I guess, a trademark, really, for this administration not to incorporate the community or the electeds,” he told the Chronicle Monday.

Daycare center will be scrapped because of Glendale homeless shelter

 

Queens Chronicle

 
As the homeless shelter for 200 single men moves ahead at 78-16 Cooper Ave. in Glendale, a day care center planned for 79-40 Cooper Ave. could be pulling out.

“Right now, we’re actively considering whether we want to pull out of the site altogether,” said Ted Hockenberry, CEO of Children of America, the would-be operator of the center.

A decision on the future of the site will be made by the company within the next 10 days, he told the Chronicle Monday.

Hockenberry, located in Florida, said he might visit the location himself or send someone from the company to check it out.

Jim Perretty, chairman of the board for the company, has already been there.

“It’s a great area. I’m actually surprised that they’re considering putting that type of facility in on that main road,” he said, referring to the homeless shelter.

The day care center, a 15-classroom facility, would hold approximately 167 children, consisting of two infant groups, two toddler groups, seven preschool groups, a pre-K group and one school-age group.

“The demographics do support having early child care solutions in the area and we think it would be a complement to the families that are in that area but we don’t want to be not successful and have families fearing going to the school, picking up, dropping off because of the proximity,” Hockenberry said.

The proposed shelter, at the site of a shuttered factory, has been on-again and off-again for years. 

Opposed by many in the community, it would be the first in Community District 5. The developer of the day care center was requesting a special permit from the Board of Standards and Appeals to build the center and went to Borough Hall after Community Board 5 voted 39-0 in favor of the move in April.

Last August the Department of Homeless Services announced the planned shelter was on again.

“That’s really prompting us as we’re coming down to the 11th hour,” Hockenberry said.

Homeless shelter in Glendale has residents and advocates at loggerheads

 

 Queens Eagle

Two days after four homeless men were brutally beaten and killed on the streets of Manhattan’s Chinatown, hundreds of central Queens residents packed a high school auditorium in Middle Village to condemn a planned homeless men’s shelter — and to demonize the New Yorkers who would live there. 

There are legitimate critiques of large-scale homeless shelters and the multi-million dollar city contracts awarded to shelter providers as the city contends with a record-high homeless population and a widening income inequality chasm.

But complex issues and possible solutions went unexamined Monday night at Christ the King High School — in part because speakers who attempted to address them were immediately booed and cursed at. The public hearing was the latest phase in the saga over a proposed 200-bed men’s shelter that the city plans to build inside a vacant warehouse at 78-16 Cooper Ave. in Glendale.

At the beginning of the event, hecklers interrupted a moment of silence for the four men killed while sleeping on the sidewalk early Saturday morning. 

From there, the dialogue devolved into discriminatory denunciations of people, particularly men, who experience homelessness. Roughly 60,000 people, including 21,694 children, slept in a New York City municipal shelter on Oct. 6, according to the Department of Homeless Services’ most recent daily census.

”These homeless men are ‘tranks, lobos and zipheads’ … They’re drug addicts and sexual offenders,” said one woman who quoted a line from “Back to the Future.” “Put them in a separate area away from society. They should be locked away forever and out of sight permanently.”

Another woman went even further.

“I hope someone is going to burn the place down,” she shouted into the microphone.

Mike Papa of the anti-shelter group Glendale Middle Village Coalition criticized the nonprofit organization Westhab, which will receive a lucrative city contract to operate the shelter on Cooper Avenue. He then turned his attention to shelter residents, implying that they are criminals. 

“Homelessness is their business and thanks to Mayor de Blasio, the Department of Correction will supply all the customers that companies like Westhab want,” said Papa, garnering applause from the crowd.

Moments later, the same attendees screamed at a Crystal Wolfe, a local resident who runs a nonprofit providing food for the homeless, when she said that “homelessness is a complex issue that is the result of problems that have been ignored for decades.”

Tousif Ahsan, a member of the Ridgewood Tenants Union, also attempted to speak “in support of our homeless neighbors.”

“Get the [expletive] outta here,” one man screamed. Most of Ahsan’s speech was inaudible amid the jeers.

District 30 Councilmember Robert Holden, whose 2017 victory over incumbent Elizabeth Crowley was driven by anti-shelter sentiment, did not condemn his constituents’ commentary. Instead, he stoked their anger.