78-16 Cooper Avenue will be the site of a 200-bed homeless shelter for single men. (Councilman Robert Holden)
Sept. 6, 2019 By Allie Griffin
A public hearing to discuss the proposed Glendale homeless shelter will take place in Middle Village next month, according to Queens Community Board 5.
The hearing is scheduled for Monday, Oct. 7 at 7:30 p.m. inside the auditorium at Christ the King Regional High School in Middle Village.
The meeting follows the Department of Homeless Services announcement last month that a shelter would be opening at 78-16 Cooper Ave. in Glendale next year.
The announcement came after years of protest from community members and elected officials who long feared that that the Cooper Avenue site would one day be a shelter. Many want to see the property turned into a school.
The shelter is expected to open in early 2020 and will serve 200 single men experiencing homelessness who are currently employed or actively seeking employment, according to DHS.
A similar facility will be opening in Ridgewood in late 2020, DHS also announced at the time.
Next month’s meeting is likely to be heated, given past shelter protests. The community board is asking attendees to remain “calm, respectful and thoughtful.”
