Propose another homeless shelter for Jamaica

Jamaica may soon have an additional shelter to house homeless families, if the proposal of a Brooklyn-based housing organization is approved by the Department of Homeless Services (DHS), over the protests of Community Board 12 (CB12).
According to the DHS, Housing Bridge, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing housing to homeless families, submitted a proposal in early March to operate a new facility for homeless families with children at 170-02 93rd Avenue in Jamaica.
According to Yvonne Reddick, district manager of CB12, the board was first notified in February when they received a letter from Housing Bridge detailing its intention to file the proposal with the DHS.
“We’re against this proposal because we are being treated as the dumping ground for the city’s homeless. We have nothing against the homeless, because that can happen to any of us, but we have more than our fair share of homeless shelters already,” said Reddick, adding that there is already a shelter one block over from the proposed site.
According to Reddick, nine of the 17 homeless shelters in Queens are already located in the neighborhoods represented by CB 12, though this figure could not be confirmed by the DHS due to client confidentiality laws.
“We do not specify any one area or neighborhood when we are looking to bring more units online. Instead, we simply explore the sites that have been made available to us by our nonprofit social services providers,” said DHS spokesperson Kristy Buller.
Housing Bridge’s proposal also included an offer to provide services to an additional Jamaica homeless shelter, the Colonial Hotel, located at 88-55 161st Street.
According to Reddick, the Board is primarily concerned that their neighborhoods will be utilized to house homeless families from all over the city, not just families from the area.
“When groups want to move in, they always say that these people are living in the community. But they don’t live in the community, they’re from outside the district,” she said. “If these people came from our district, it would be different; we would be housing our own.”
The DHS is currently reviewing Housing Bridge’s proposal and will notify the Community Board as soon as a decision is made, according to Buller.
Housing Bridge could not be reached for comment.