Homeless housing irks residents, again

Meadowmere Park residents are upset that a nearby Holiday Inn, at the intersection of Brookville Boulevard and Rockaway Turnpike in Rosedale, Queens, is once again housing homeless people from New York City.

The homeless were first reported at the hotel last May. Following up on complaints from the Meadowmere Park residents, the city’s Human Resources Administration and the Department of Homeless Services removed them, but in January, residents began noticing that they had returned to the Holiday Inn and were roaming around the neighborhood.

Diane Kirchner, president of the Meadowmere Park Civic Association, said that the homeless — mostly men — wander through the community and are disruptive. “Public urination, open alcohol consumption, panhandling and more can be seen on Rockaway Turnpike, in the Five Towns Shopping Center and at the 7-Eleven shopping area, where the high school students from Lawrence go during their lunch period to eat,” she said. “We are very concerned about the students who utilize these shopping areas for lunch during the day.”

In January, residents contacted State Assemblyman Todd Kaminsky (D-Long Beach) to see what could be done. Kaminsky sent a letter to Steve Banks, the commissioner of the city’s Human Resources Administration.

“Numerous aspects of this shelter are troubling,” Kaminsky wrote. “While this shelter may be at the farthest reaches of New York City, it is in the backyard of a suburban, residential community where children play just a short distance away. Moreover, because there is little economic opportunity in the neighborhood and a thirty-minute bus ride to the closest subway, Meadowmere residents have reported seeing occupants of the shelter wandering their neighborhood.”

Kaminsky’s letter went unanswered, he said.

Kirchner said that while she understands that the men need shelter, the area near Meadowmere Park is not the right place for them, because it lacks employment opportunities and social service resources.