Sept. 29, 2015 By Michael Florio
Residents will be able to ask city officials questions about the opening of a homeless shelter in East Elmhurst at a public meeting on Wednesday.
Community Board 3 and the East Elmhurst Corona Civic Association are co-hosting a public information meeting on the opening of The Landing Hotel Shelter (formerly the Clarion Hotel), located at 94-00 Ditmars Blvd.
The meeting will take place Wednesday night at 7 p.m., at St. Marks AME Church, located at 95-18 Northern Blvd.
The Department of Homeless Services and CAMBA, a Brooklyn-based provider that operates the shelter, will both have representatives at the meeting.
The representatives will discuss their plans for the 169-unit shelter, according to Giovanna Reid, District Manager for Community Board 3.
“The community will get to meet the operators of the shelter,” Reid said.
Residents will be able to ask any questions they have, Reid added.
The shelter, which was formerly the Clarion Hotel, began housing homeless families with children in late August. This occurred after the Department of Homeless Services told the Jackson Heights Post in June that the location was not being considered for a shelter.
Many residents and local officials were unhappy since the community had little input prior to the shelter’s opening. The DHS and CAMBA quietly held a community meeting a week prior to opening.
State Sen. Jose Peralta will attend the meeting. Other elected officials have also been invited.
Peralta is hopeful that the DHS and CAMBA will finally give the community answers to their many questions and concerns.
“Let me reiterate, I am not against the homeless shelter, but I am against the process in which DHS opened another emergency homeless shelter in the district without proper and real community input,” said Peralta.
“The meeting promises to give our neighbors the opportunity to raise their suggestions and concerns to DHS and to CAMBA, the not-for-profit operating The Landing,” he added.
The East Elmhurst Corona Civic Association could not be reached for comment.
Reach reporter Michael Florio at [email protected]
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