State Sen. Joe Addabbo Jr. has cosponsored a bill which calls for the City Planning Commission to work with the community before plans for a new shelter location, such as one slated for this site in Glendale, are finalized. File Photo
The 2015 state Legislative Session will feature a bill that proposes to dramatically change the process by which the locations of homeless shelters and facilities are chosen and implemented, according to state Sen. Joe Addabbo, Jr. (D-Howard Beach).
The bill, sponsored by Sen. Jeff Klein (D-Bronx) and co-sponsored by Addabbo, calls for the City Planning Commission to work with the affected communities before plans for a new shelter location are finalized. Currently, city guidelines and the homeless crisis allow the mayor’s administration to choose a location for housing facility or social services center without the requirement of considering community input or consent.
The vote on the piece of legislation comes at a time in which the Glendale community is fighting the city on the proposed location of a 125-family homeless shelter at an abandoned factory on Cooper Avenue. Late last month, the Glendale-Middle Village Coalition sued the city, saying that the administration’s environmental impact study of the site was insufficient and improper.
Under the legislation, before any such facility can be established in the city, its operator must file notice with the Planning Commission and community board that represents the area in which the facility is proposed to be located. After filing, the commission would host a community forum, followed by a 60- to 90-day review period. The commission would then approve, modify or deny authorization for the location, or suggest an alternative site. The application’s sponsor will then be precluded from reapplying for two years. These requirements also stand for an existing shelter whose lease is renewed or extended.
“Our efforts against the proposed homeless shelter in Glendale have been a long endeavor, and at times it seems we are fighting an impossible battle. I want us all to have a fair opportunity to voice concerns when it comes to what is being put into their backyards and affecting our quality of life in both the long and short term,” Addabbo said.
Additionally this week, City Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley (D-Glendale) submitted written testimony before a joint hearing of the Assembly Standing Committee on Social Service and the Assembly Standing Committee on Oversight, Analysis, & Investigation regarding homeless services. In her testimony, Crowley called for the city and state to return to investing in housing subsidies to keep struggling New Yorkers in their homes, and out of shelters.
By Michael V. Cusenza
