By Sadef Ali Kully
The plans for a juvenile group home proposed for a Jamaica Avenue site in Queens Village have been dropped by the city Administration Children’s Services after community members protested for months, elected officials announced Tuesday.
The former Merrick Academy school building on the corner of 207th Street and Jamaica Avenue would have become a group home for juvenile delinquents to transition into responsible young men while in a neighborhood environment through a state program administered by ACS.
Residents joined with elected officials and community leaders to stop the site plan through legal and social means and were elated to hear the news that the proposal for the group home had been canceled.
“It was your strong, clear voices that informed this choice, proving that a motivated, tenacious group of people can work to change the political landscape of not only just a neighborhood, but of a citywide paradigm,” state Sen. Leroy Comrie (D-Hollis) wrote to his constituents in a newsletter email informing them of ACS’s decision.
Reach Reporter Sadef Ali Kully by e-mail at skull
