Queens pols press city on Fresh Meadows shelter-hotel as neighbors plan protest
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The city has housed about 100 people experiencing homelessness at the Wyndham Garden hotel. Photo via Google Maps
By David Brand
A collection of Queens elected officials have pressed City Hall for more information about a Fresh Meadows hotel housing New Yorkers who became homeless upon their release from city jails, as constituents plan an upcoming protest outside the facility.
In a July 30 letter to Mayor Bill de Blasio, the elected officials, including Rep. Grace Meng, State Sen. John Liu and local Councilmember Barry Grodenchik, say they were kept in the dark about the plan to house about 100 people released from Rikers in the Wyndham Garden hotel on 186th Street until constituents alerted them. They asked the city to provide information about how long the hotel will be used to house people experiencing homelessness.
“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.”
City officials say the hotel will not be used to house people experiencing homelessness beyond the current COVID-19 crisis, but added that the uncertain duration of the pandemic means there is no specific end date. The contract with the hotel, first negotiated by the Office of Emergency Management, lasts until October, but may be extended depending on the state of the public health crisis, the city said.
Since the hotel is a temporary site for use during the COVID crisis, it was not subject to the same level of community notification and approval as a permanent shelter, city officials added.
Colby Hamilton, a spokesperson for the Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice, said 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.
Grodenchik, the local councilmember, visited the Wyndham Gardens hotel in June to learn about on-site case management and push for more community engagement. He called on the city to secure permanent housing for the individuals staying at the hotel.
During the peak of the pandemic in March and April, COVID-19 surged behind bars, killing several detainees and New York City correction officers. As of July 24, 288 inmates and 1,420 Department of Correction staff members have tested positive for the illness, according to city data. In response to the crisis, officials worked to release inmates with pre-existing conditions out of jails to stop the spread of the deadly illness.
At the same time, the city’s Department of Homeless Services began to move thousands of people from large, congregate shelters to two-person hotel rooms to promote social distancing.
Local residents and civic groups in Fresh Meadows have criticized the decision to house people freed from city jails at the Wyndham hotel, citing concerns about public safety that are often used to oppose homeless shelters in residential communities.
They plan to protest outside the hotel Tuesday evening, though the demonstration may be moved to Wednesday because of a pending tropical storm.
“We want them out now,” reads a flyer for the protest shared on Facebook.
Advocates for the rights of people experiencing homeless say many of the public safety arguments used by residents can mask discrimination and a “Not In My Backyard” outlook.
The temporary hotel rooms are crucial for preventing the spread of the coronavirus among people experiencing homelessness or transitioning from jails, said Craig Hughes, a social worker supervisor with Safety Net Project of the Urban Justice Center.
“People have been placed in hotels who are homeless because congregate settings are dangerous and they have a right to survive COVID just like everyone else,” Hughes said.
The July 30 letter was also signed by Assemblymembers David Weprin and Nily Rozic, Councilmember Peter Koo, Community Board 8 Chair Martha Taylor and CB8 District Manager Marie-Adam Ovide.
