Mayor surprised by Fresh Meadows shelter-hotel info, despite letter from lawmakers
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Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office
By David Brand
Mayor Bill de Blasio said Friday that he did not know at least 100 formerly incarcerated individuals were being housed at a hotel in Fresh Meadows — despite receiving a letter about the issue from local elected officials in July.
During de Blasio’s weekly “Ask the Mayor” segment on WNYC, a Fresh Meadows resident called to complain about her perception that the Wyndham Garden Hotel guests were committing crimes in the neighborhood. De Blasio said his office would look into her complaints, but he seemed incredulous when told that 100 people were being housed in the hotel.
“I don’t have knowledge of a single location with 100 former inmates. That doesn’t jibe with what I know,” he said. “I don’t know of any place where there’s that kind of concentration of former inmates.”
The Eagle first reported on the use of the hotel to house at least 100 people released from Rikers Island in June. The Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice said the city paid for rooms in the hotel because the recently released individuals did not have stable housing and would have otherwise become homeless. The rooms enable them to maintain social distancing and stem the spread of COVID-19 in shelters, a MOCJ spokesperson said.
Nevertheless, local elected officials say they are concerned about the lack of transparency around the plan.
On July 30, Rep. Grace Meng, State Sen. John Liu, Assemblymember Nily Rozic, local Councilmember Barry Grodenchik and other elected officials sent a letter to de Blasio outlining their concerns.
“We understand the critical role of transitional housing services for individuals who are working toward safe and successful re-entry,” the elected officials wrote. “At the same time, we take with the utmost seriousness our responsibility to represent local residents, give voice to their concerns, and ensure public safety.”
In response, MOCJ spokesperson Colby Hamilton told the Eagle that the COVID-19 outbreak presented the city with a “dire public healthcare crisis” that demanded a swift response to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in shelters and jails.
“The city stood up a number of hotels across the city on an emergency basis to safely house the relatively small population that otherwise would have entered the shelter system, or simply returned to those communities already most impacted by COVID-19,” Hamilton said.
Nonprofit staff provide reentry services at the site and the hotel will not be used to house people experiencing homelessness after the COVID-19 crisis subsides, he added.
