Hundreds protest proposed homeless shelter
Ridgewood, NY — Hundreds of Queens locals crowded into the P.S/I.S. 119 auditorium last night to protest a planned homeless shelter at 78–16 Cooper Ave. beginning in the first half of 2020.
Originally organized by Councilmember Robert Holden (D- Middle Village) as a town hall, the meeting took on the mood of a rally, as speaker after speaker expressed opposition to what Holden called “the idea of warehousing the homeless” in predominantly residential areas. Attendees filled every seat. When the seats ran out, many sat on the stage, stood in walkways, and even the lobby. Even though the evening agenda’s ground rules asked that people do not shout, interrupt, or talk over others, participants shouted back at speakers in agreement or disdain.
The residents expressed concerned with keeping their community safe and protecting their quality of life. “There are many negative elements that come with putting a shelter in a residential area. Not only do property values go down, but cars are broken into, all kinds of stuff,” said James Sillie, a resident of Glendale.
According to the fact sheet that was given out Thursday night, the Department of Homeless Services (DHS) received a shelter proposal in August of 2018 from Westhab Community Services, a Westchester County-based organization with four other shelters in New York City. Councilmember Holden proposed an alternative solution — implementing smaller faith-based shelters. But after a year of review, the DHS decided to move forward with plans to turn the space into a homeless shelter.
Councilmember Holden said that the shelter plans to house 200 single men who are employed or deemed employable. According to a fact sheet handed out at the meeting, the average length of stay would be nine months. If residents do not find employment by that time, they would be transported to another kind of shelter. Westhab plans to will also have onsite job training and educational programs available. However, when it was announced that an in-house security staff of 40 guards will be implemented, instead of the notion making surrounding residents feel more comfortable, the crowd audibly gasped. [Nice show-don’t-tell detail] “Why do they need all this security if these people are safe?” said Holden.
Members of the Queens delegation, including State Senator Joe Addabbo, Assemblyman Andrew Hevesi, Assemblyman Mike Miller, and representatives from the Glendale Middle Village Coalition, were also on hand. They took turns amping up the crowd with calls to unify as a community, promises to speak on their behalf in legislation, and denouncing Governor Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio. “We’ve told the mayor over and over again ‘We will work with you’, but he doesn’t want to. He’d rather go around thinking that he could become our President.” said Councilmember Holden during his speech, as the audience erupted in laughter. “The Poverty Pimps are the reason we’re getting a shelter and not a school. It’s the people that make money off of nonprofit homeless shelters.”
The Ridgewood Tenants Union (RTU), a multi-cultural union fighting displacement, have openly disagreed with Holden’s anti-shelter position, even though they say they themselves are against shelters. In a media advisory, the RTU called out Holden for dehumanizing and criminalizing the homeless, and claims the solution to the homeless problem in New York City is “housing-based, common-sense solutions that are not driven by anti-homeless, racist, and classist sentiment.”
“What does Holden mean when he says that a homeless man from another part of the city doesn’t “fit in” and “won’t assimilate” to the predominantly white and middle class neighborhood of Glendale?” wrote RTU organizer, Caty Seger, in an email. “Holden is fear-mongering and creating a panic where there is none.”
“I have donated $90,000 to soup kitchens and I am in favor of smaller shelters. That’s not dehumanizing. Dehumanizing is keeping the homeless in warehouses, putting them 12 to a room.” said Holden in response to RTU’s claim.
The evening ended with a call to raise money and protest. Kathy Masi, of The Glendale Middle Village Coalition, announced a GoFundMe to collect money for attorney fees, as they plan to sue. In 2014, when a shelter was planned to be in the same location, The Glendale Middle Village Coalition raised $63,000 in four months. Mike Papa, a key member of the coalition, announced that there will be an accompanying protest coming very soon.
The swift public outrage, opponents say, comes from a history of residents not acting fast enough to have a say in the implementation of the homeless shelters. Resident James Sillie worries that the shelter will be up-and-running before the community has a say. Protests in Elmhurst broke out early last year because residents were given short-notice. “My family is from Elmhurst. They received a notice on Thursday and the shelter was open on Saturday.” said Sillie.
Elected officials in Glendale were given a 30-day notice, however, the contract to officially open the shelter has not been officially signed. Holden expects that it will be signed next week, if not stopped by court action.
“Our work does not stop.” said State Senator Joe Addabbo as he concluded his speech. “It starts tonight.”
