Hundreds of residents came out Wednesday evening to the first meeting of the Glendale/ Middle Village Coalition, a group formed to combat a proposed homeless shelter in a former warehouse on Cooper Avenue.
The meeting at Christ the King High School was held to inform locals of the group’s plans for action against the shelter and to show them the ways they can help the cause, organizers said.
“We want to prevent the warehousing of the homeless,” Kathy Masi, president of the Glendale Civic Association, said. “We are asking residents for help.”
The Glendale/ Middle Village Coalition has raised more than $30,000, which it intends to use to challenge a declaration by the city that said a homeless shelter would have no adverse effect on the community.
“[The city] just went through the motions,” Chris Murray, the coalition’s lawyer, said. “If we win, the city will have to go back and do an Environmental Impact Statement. This could then take them up to three years to complete and will prolong the process.”
But to continue the legal action the coalition asked locals to kick in money and for at least one resident on each block to become a “block captain,” who would keep neighbors informed and collect donation pledges.
By the end of the night, more than 70 people signed up to become block captains and more than 50 checks were collected, organizers said.
The coalition estimated that it will need about $100,000 more to fight the proposed shelter effectively.
Sal Cafasi, one of the originators of the coalition, said the group will continue to hold meetings and update residents.
The coalition has asked for the community’s continuing support throughout the process.
“This is a battle and we will win it,” Bob Holden, president of the Juniper Park Civic Association, said. “The neighborhood is united against this. We need [residents] to spread the word.”
The Department of Homeless Services did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
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