Photo Courtesy of Councilman Wills’ Office
Councilman Ruben Wills (at lectern) and Assemblyman Mike Miller (second from r.) announced on Tuesday that they are set to host a town hall in Ozone Park regarding the proposed homeless facility on Atlantic Avenue.
By Michael V. Cusenza
The caustic debate over the de Blasio administration’s homeless shelter siting policies spread to southern Queens over the past seven days as elected officials and community leaders in Ozone Park announced their intention to conduct a town hall meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 25, to discuss a proposal supported by the Department of Homeless Services to locate a transitional facility and drop-in site on Atlantic Avenue and 102nd Street.
The proposed facility at 100-32 Atlantic Ave., according to City Councilman Ruben Wills (D-Jamaica) and Assemblyman Mike Miller (D-Woodhaven) is less than 200 feet from the High School of Construction, Trades, Engineering and Architecture.
The plan under consideration has been submitted by non-profit organization Breaking Ground, Wills said. The group seeks to provide 50 safe-haven beds for adults in the borough who are a part of the city’s indeterminate street homeless population. These individuals would reportedly be supplied with their own private spaces, and will not be forced outside during the daytime hours. The average length of stay for each client would top out at nine months. Additionally, the drop-in site would offer no greater than 75 clients a meal and a hot shower for a day, as well as educational and other on-site supports designed to prevent the loss of housing.
Despite these distinctions from the more deplorable conditions reported in many City-operated and contracted shelters, Wills, Miller, and U.S. Rep. Greg Meeks (D-Jamaica) wrote letter to DHS Commissioner Steve Banks in August in which they panned the proposal based on the fact that the proposed site is located less than 200 feet from the High School of Construction, Trades, Engineering and Architecture.
“This is neither about the reputation of Breaking Ground, nor its performance in providing bridges to supportive and affordable housing to the city’s street homeless,” Wills said. “On the other hand, I do not wish for it to be associated with the inadequacies that have led to unintentional violations of State statutes that govern the movements of certain sex offenders. A facility that serves an adult homeless population simply should not be located less than 200 feet from a school. I cannot in good faith endorse any such proposal under these circumstances, and have urged DHS and Breaking Ground to reconsider. Still, much has been rumored about the conditions under which such a facility would operate were it to open, and the need for definitive information is paramount. We encourage the Department and Breaking Ground to attend next Tuesday’s town hall, to hear from the community about its many concerns, and be prepared to describe what it believes the merits of this plan to be.”
The forum is scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 25, at Richi Rich Palace (110-19 Atlantic Ave.), 6 p.m. – 9 p.m.
The Ozone Park announcement capped off another rough week for Mayor Bill de Blasio. City Councilman Eric Ulrich (R-Ozone Park) torched Hizzoner for his “latest backroom deal” to rent out several rooms at the Playland Motel in Rockaway Beach to homeless clients.
“I am outraged. My constituents – and all New Yorkers – deserve better,” Ulrich said. “Mayor de Blasio’s so-called progressive agenda has caused the homeless population to skyrocket. The time has come for this administration to put forth real and meaningful solutions that will actually help people find permanent housing and rebuild their lives.”
