Shelter Dominates Glendale Forum
Candidates’ night at the Glendale Property Owners Association (GPOA) meeting last Thursday, Oct. 2, at St. Pancras Pfeifer hall gravitated toward the dominant issue facing the neighborhood today: the proposed opening of a homeless shelter.
Democratic State Sen. Joseph Addabbo and his Republican challenger, attorney Michael Conigliaro, focused much of their attention on efforts to thwart the opening of a transitional housing shelter at 78-16 Cooper Ave., a long-dormant factory.
Though the candidates were free to speak about anything, Conigliaro-who spoke at the previous GPOA meeting in September and the first to speak at last Thursday’s meeting- centered all of his remarks around the shelter.
The Republican said he was encouraged by the large turnout at the Glendale Middle Village Coalition’s first meeting the previous night, Oct. 1. He expressed hope that an Article 78 proceeding launched by the organization-an alliance of civic and business groups opposed to the Glendale shelter-would successfully bring the project to a standstill.
“One thing that will be beneficial … is that it will stall and prevent anything from going on there,” he said. “It would also allow [environmental] testing, which is also very important. Because if there are environmental issues at that site, and the testing was done improperly at the onset, then before we talk about putting anything there, let’s make sure [it’s corrected]. That’s the most important thing.”
Conigliaro based most of his remarks on an article published in the September issue of the Juniper Berry, the Juniper Park Civic Association’s quarterly magazine. He read aloud quotes from the article claiming that nonprofit groups such as Samaritan Village (which proposed the Glendale shelter) and owners of shelter sites were essentially profiting on homelessness, given that the city pays above-market rates for shelter operations.
He also mentioned that the state’s “right-to-shelter” law mandates that state and local governments provide shelter to anyone, regardless of residency. Claiming that out-of-state residents are exploiting this mandate, Conigliaro pledged to introduce legislation that would mandate that municipalities offer first shelter preference to New Yorkers.
Again stating quotes from the Juniper Berry article, Conigliaro blasted state lawmakers for failing to expand Section 8 housing subsidies to families. Currently, he claimed, the subsidies are “only available” to domestic violence victims or individuals in the witness protection program.
Sidetracked by City Hall
The state senate candidate then turned his attention to city government, and a quote from the article which claimed that City Council Member Elizabeth Crowley-in attendance for Conigliaro’s remarks-had not “called for an oversight hearing at the City Council’s Committee on General Welfare, the body with oversight over” the Department of Homeless Services (DHS).
“And that’s a fact? Is that a fact? You said earlier that everything you’re saying is fact,” Crowley interjected.
“Has she disputed it?” Conigliaro asked the audience.
“I’m disputing it right now,” she replied. Crowley later told residents she made repeated requests for a hearing with the committee’s chairperson, City Council Member Stephen Levin of Brooklyn, but they were denied.
Crowley stated the City Council and mayor included in the current budget funding to reduce the New York City Housing Authority’s wait list in order to get as many families into permanent homes as possible. The city and state governments also secured a combined $80 million in housing vouchers for families, she added.
Intimating that local lawmakers weren’t doing enough to convince the city to stop the plan in its tracks, Conigliaro stated he would, if elected, do “whatever you need me to do right now” to stop the shelter plan.
“It’s time for action. It’s time for people to put the pedal to the metal,” he said. “I have nothing bad to say personally about the elected officials. They’re nice people, but nice isn’t going to get the job done all the time.”
‘Hit the stop button’
Addabbo spoke after Conigliaro and repeated his opposition to the Glendale shelter, noting that he, Crowley and other lawmakers were doing what they could to block the proposal.
“I do not believe this is a done deal,” he told residents. “I believe this location is a bad location for a myriad [sic] of reasons- environmental, transportation, public safety.”
The senator stated he has contacted Mayor Bill de Blasio, various city commissioners, City Comptroller Scott Stringer, the School Construction Authority and other groups, making appeals to “hit the stop button” on the Glendale shelter.
In speaking with the Mayor’s office hours before the meeting, Addabbo said, he urged the de Blasio administration to give elected officials 30 days to find an alternate site.
At the same time, Addabbo was also critical of the administration’s handling of the homeless crisis in the city, noting that elected officials were told by DHS Commissioner Gilbert Taylor at a previous meeting that shelters were coming to their districts, regardless of their opinion.
“Make us part of the process; make our people part of the process,” he told residents. “Make us part of the process, not ram it down our throats.”
Speaking about the Glendale Middle Village Coalition’s efforts, Addabbo-a former practicing attorney-stated the group’s case against the shelter has merit and he supports its efforts.
“I’m hopeful that, between the efforts of the coalition and the elected officials, both working toward that goal … something may happen,” the senator said. “There’s not an elected official here who agrees with [the shelter plan]. There’s not an elected official who agrees with the mayor on this issue at this point.”
As for legislation putting a residency requirement on homeless persons seeking shelter, Addabbo said he would explore it, but conceded it would be difficult to pass if de Blasio and Gov. Andrew Cuomo are not in agreement on it.
After mentioning ethics reform in Albany as another campaign issue, local resident Richard Huber asked Addabbo if that legislation would clear the way for an investigation of nonprofit homeless shelter operators and connections to various government agencies. Huber mentioned that Tino Hernandez, a high-ranking member of Samaritan Village, previously worked at the DHS and other city departments.
“I couldn’t agree more,” the senator said about such an inquiry, noting that he and other lawmakers-including State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli, who issued an audit questioning Samaritan Village’s spending practices-brought up potential conflicts of interest to the mayor, all of which have “fallen on a deaf ear.”
“But we don’t stop,” he said. “I’m a firm believer that persistence pays off.”
Crowley on trash, library fix
Turning to issues other than the shelter, Crowley updated residents on other issues concerning Glendale.
She noted the Doe Fund recently expanded its services to Myrtle Avenue in Glendale and along Fresh Pond Road in Ridgewood. The nonprofit group is providing supplemental sanitation services three days a week through City Council funding she secured.
Additionally, Crowley noted, the City Council also allocated funds to provide a cultural afterschool program at each Glendale public school.
Finally, the city’s Design Commission is in the process of reviewing renovation plans for the Glendale public library. Crowley expects work on the more than $3 million project to begin “hopefully” next spring.
The next Glendale Property Owners Association meeting is scheduled to take place on Thursday, Nov. 6, at 7:30 p.m. at St. Pancras Pfeifer Hall, located at the corner of Myrtle Avenue and 68th Street.
