{"id":158,"date":"2026-06-24T15:36:00","date_gmt":"2026-06-24T15:36:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/council.nyc.gov\/lynn-schulman\/?p=158"},"modified":"2026-07-14T15:38:05","modified_gmt":"2026-07-14T15:38:05","slug":"residents-rally-against-mens-homeless-shelter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/council.nyc.gov\/lynn-schulman\/2026\/06\/24\/residents-rally-against-mens-homeless-shelter\/","title":{"rendered":"Residents Rally Against Men\u2019s Homeless Shelter"},"content":{"rendered":"

Richmond Hill community objects to facility set to be built on Jamaica Ave<\/strong>.<\/em><\/p>\n

By Kristen Guglielmo<\/strong><\/mark><\/em><\/p>\n

Dozens of Richmond Hill residents poured onto Jamaica Avenue on June 18 to say exactly what they think of a planned homeless shelter in their neighborhood: \u201cNot here.\u201d<\/p>\n

The rally, organized by Community Board 9, drew a diverse crowd of parents, business owners, religious leaders, civic association representatives and elected officials, all united in opposition to a five-story men\u2019s shelter at 118-08 Jamaica Ave.<\/p>\n

The facility is slated to open in mid-2027, according to the Department of Social Services.<\/p>\n

The agency said the 127-bed transitional housing center will be operated by VIP Community Services and offer on-site case management, counseling, housing placement assistance, medical and mental health services, employment support and life-skills programming.<\/p>\n

The DSS told the Chronicle the facility will have 24-hour on-site security, including cameras throughout the property, community patrols by security staff and a community advisory board to address neighborhood concerns.<\/p>\n

The facility also would be the first traditional Department of Homeless Services shelter within the council district, the DSS said, and is intended to expand the city\u2019s \u201cequitable shelter siting\u201d approach by distributing homeless services more evenly across the five boroughs.<\/p>\n

According to the city Department of Buildings website, multiple work permits for the shelter were approved on May 14. Gunnveet Sandhu is listed as the owner behind the applications.<\/p>\n

The DHS and DSS had been expected to answer for the shelter proposal at a public hearing on June 4 but canceled, saying they needed more time to prepare, according to board leadership. That cancellation was the catalyst for the rally.<\/p>\n

District Manager James McClelland made clear that the goal is accountability, not simply opposition.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis rally is more or less not just to oppose this, but to demand that the Department of Homeless Services and the Department of Social Services stand before this community, answer the tough questions and listen to our concerns like they should have done last week on June 4,\u201d McClelland said.<\/p>\n

Councilmember Lynn Schulman (D-Forest Hills), who was among the rally\u2019s attendees, said she also had not been briefed on the shelter.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I first ran for office, I ran saying that we had a government from the bottom up, meaning the community has to have a say,\u201d Schulman said. \u201cThe community hasn\u2019t had any say in this.\u201d<\/p>\n

Assemblymember David Weprin (D-Fresh Meadows) echoed Schulman\u2019s concerns and made clear that the opposition is rooted in location, not principle.<\/p>\n

\u201cAddressing homelessness requires thoughtful and careful planning, and strong partnerships at all levels of community and government,\u201d Weprin said. \u201cWe recognize the importance of expanding access to supporting housing and shelter.\u201d<\/p>\n

But the Jamaica Avenue site, he said, is simply the wrong choice.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe facility would be situated in the middle of a concentrated school zone,\u201d Weprin said. \u201cThe presence of multiple schools makes this location uniquely sensitive and warrants careful reconsideration.\u201d<\/p>\n

State Sen. Joe Addabbo Jr. (D-Woodhaven) leaned into the crowd\u2019s frustration \u2014 and channeled it.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile we are sympathetic to the homeless, this is what happens when we\u2019re left in the dark,\u201d Addabbo said. \u201cThis is what happens when our community doesn\u2019t get answers on what\u2019s going to happen. This is what happens when we don\u2019t have input. … Our voices will be heard, our concerns will be met, and we will not stop.\u201d<\/p>\n

Addabbo said he had visited a nearby business before the rally and found the owner deeply rattled. \u201cI went to the Classic Diner. They are petrified. Why? Because they\u2019re in the dark,\u201d he said. \u201cBefore any shovel hits the ground here \u2014 if any shovel hits the ground here \u2014 we will have answers.\u201d<\/p>\n

Paul Trust, speaking on behalf of the Richmond Hill Block Association and as a father of three daughters who attended the nearby schools, described the Jamaica Avenue commercial strip as a community trying to improve itself.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a business district that is trying to lift itself up, and I feel like this is just an example of a card stacked against it,\u201d Trust said.<\/p>\n

He also said he had spoken to residents near another men\u2019s shelter in the area and heard troubling accounts.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey said there\u2019s concerns about crime over there, there\u2019s a lot of loitering, there\u2019s catcalls to young girls,\u201d Trust said, noting that Richmond Hill High School is nearby. \u201cWe already have safety concerns, and this just concerns me that it\u2019s just going to make it that much worse.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rossella Muto, whose family has operated the nearby Alfie\u2019s Pizza for more than 50 years, described a daily struggle with homeless individuals that she said has grown worse over the past decade. She said she tries to help, but acknowledged the limits of what one business can absorb.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen it gets to a certain level where you have to protect the people in your store and yourself, then that\u2019s a different story,\u201d Muto said. \u201cI have friends of mine who live in Glendale, by a shelter. They don\u2019t like it either, and they tell me they go through horror stories every single day. … This cannot happen. Not in this neighborhood.\u201d<\/p>\n

Carina Nieves-Snow, the parent coordinator at PS 51 \u2014 the school closest to the proposed shelter site \u2014 said families had already come to her with concerns about homeless people along Jamaica Avenue.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe know that these shelters allow these individuals to roam the streets during the day,\u201d Nieves-Snow said.<\/p>\n

Faith leaders added their voices to the chorus. Rabbi Daniel Pollack said the community should have more input.<\/p>\n

\u201cA community should have a choice and a decision and input to make what\u2019s best for the lives of their children, and for their parents, and for the school, and everyone who is connected with the community,\u201d Pollack said. \u201cIt should not be thrust upon us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Helen Day, president of the Richmond Hill Historical Society, said, \u201cThey have come with this not as a proposal, but as a done deal, and they want to force us to accept this as they have done in other communities. We don\u2019t like that. We are going to protest it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Board leadership said the fight is not over.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re going to have a public hearing in September,\u201d CB 9 Chair Sherry Algredo said. \u201cWe are not going to give up.\u201d<\/p>\n

In a statement provided to the Chronicle after the rally, a spokesperson for the DSS said, \u201cAs we continue to transform the shelter system \u2014 closing substandard sites and opening new, high-quality facilities across the five boroughs \u2014 our focus lies squarely on improving the services we provide and ensuring that every community has the requisite safety net resources to support their neighbors in need.\u201d<\/p>\n

The agency said it remains committed to working with the community and prioritizing the safety of residents, staff and neighbors.<\/p>\n

The DSS also pushed back against suggestions that people experiencing homelessness pose an inherent threat to the surrounding community, saying most shelter residents are individuals facing financial hardship, many of them working or seeking employment while trying to secure permanent housing.<\/p>\n

Link:https:\/\/www.qchron.com\/editions\/queenswide\/residents-rally-against-men-s-homeless-shelter\/article_91feb2ae-c39e-5623-baf1-c0ab7cdcb512.html<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Richmond Hill community objects to facility set to be built on Jamaica Ave<\/strong>.<\/em><\/p>\n

By Kristen Guglielmo<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Dozens of Richmond Hill residents poured onto Jamaica Avenue on June 18 to say exactly what they think of a planned homeless shelter in their neighborhood: \u201cNot here.\u201d<\/p>\n

The rally, organized by Community Board 9, drew a diverse crowd of parents, business owners, religious leaders, civic association representatives and elected officials, all united in opposition to a five-story men\u2019s shelter at 118-08 Jamaica Ave.<\/p>\n

…<\/p>\n

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