Photo Courtesy of Councilman Wills’ Office
Many residents of Richmond Hill, Ozone Park, and Woodhaven last Thursday expressed concerns about a proposed homeless facility’s potential impact on the quality of life in their communities.
By Michael V. Cusenza
Angry south Queens residents last Thursday lashed out at the de Blasio administration for proposing a homeless facility in Ozone Park less than 200 feet from an area high school.
A Transitional Residence and Drop-In Site for street homeless has been proposed for the building located at 100-32 Atlantic Ave. During a packed town hall last Thursday evening organized by City Councilman Ruben Wills (D-Jamaica) and Assemblyman Mike Miller (D-Woodhaven), concerned residents blasted the Department of Homeless Services for failing to consult with communities that would be impacted by the presence of such a facility.
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.
“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 at a press conference on the subject late last month. “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.”
Wills, Miller, and U.S. Rep. Greg Meeks (D-Jamaica) wrote letter to DHS Commissioner Steve Banks in August panning the plan based on the fact that the proposed site is located less than 200 feet from the High School of Construction, Trades, Engineering and Architecture.
