Homeless Shelter For Senior Women To Open In Douglaston In 2021

DOUGLASTON, QUEENS — A homeless shelter for senior women will open late next year in Douglaston, according to city officials.

The 75-bed shelter will be located at 243-02 Northern Blvd., previously occupied by Pride of Judea Community Services, and will be run by the nonprofit Samaritan Village.

It is the first homeless shelter in the Northeast Queens district overseen by Community Board 11, according to the NYC Department of Social Services, which oversees the Department of Homeless Services.

“New Yorkers from every community across the five boroughs have experienced and continue to experience homelessness, so we need every community to come together to address homelessness – now more than ever, in the midst of this unprecedented crisis," Associate Press Secretary Neha Sharma wrote in an emailed statement.

"This new high-quality facility will be the first traditional shelter in this Community District, offering 75 senior women experiencing homelessness the opportunity to get back on their feet safely and closer to their anchors of life, like jobs, healthcare, family, and houses of worship."

Plans announced to stakeholders last week initially called for a single men's shelter, but the city changed course after officials were met with opposition by City Council Member Paul Vallone, state Assembly Member Edward Braunstein and state Sen. John Liu.

The three officials criticized the Department of Homeless Services for announcing the shelter plans before engaging with neighborhood residents and stakeholders.

"While we believe this is a better outcome for the community at large, we are still disappointed to see DHS adopt policies where key decisions are made without ever engaging local stakeholders and community members," the three officials said in a joint statement Tuesday.

Sharma, the Department of Social Services spokesperson, disputed the characterization, noting that the agency informed the community about the shelter on Dec. 22 and that agency officials "remain committed" to notifying communities about new shelters at least 30 days before they open.

At the new shelter, Samaritan Village will offer on-site medical and mental health services, case management, individual and group counseling, housing assistance, support groups, independent living and life skills workshops and help finding and securing employment, according to the Department of Social Services.

Samaritan Village already aids thousands of New Yorkers through a network of 20 facilities, according to the NYC Department of Homeless Services website.

The nonprofit has managed roughly $76 million in city contracts this year, records show.