Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Photos: Maspeth Residents Prepare To Sue City Over Proposed Homeless Shelter
By
Gaby Del Valle
Published Aug 27, 2016
Modified Aug 27, 2016
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Scott Heins / Gothamist
View all 14
By
Gaby Del Valle
Published Aug 27, 2016
Modified Aug 27, 2016
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Queens residents protesting the city's plan to convert a Maspeth hotel into a homeless shelter say they have nothing against homeless people—they just don't want any in their neighborhood.
For more than two weeks, a group of locals residents has gathered to protest outside a Holiday Inn Express at 59-40 55th Road, which the Department of Homeless Services plans to convert into an adult homeless shelter by October 1.
Eleni Kesanidis, who has lived in Maspeth for 30 years, was one of approximately 50 people out protesting Thursday night. She claimed Maspeth is already overwhelmed by homelessness. "We have enough already! And now we're going to have more," she said.
Deputy HRA Commissioner David Neustadt explained in an email that DHS did not seek out the 55th Road site. "We have an open request for shelters, and nonprofit providers find locations and bring them to us," he said. Neustadt did not identify which nonprofit providers suggested the Holiday Inn location.
The protesters, who on Thursday chanted "No homeless shelter" and "Boycott the Holiday Inn," have said they are fearful that the proposed shelter, which is located near a park and will house up to 220 people, will endanger their children and bringing unwanted outsiders to the neighborhood.
(DHS officials have pointed out that there are homeless individuals who hail from neighborhoods across New York, including an estimated 250 New Yorkers whose last permanent address on file was in Maspeth.)
Bob Holden, president of the Juniper Park Civic Association, a local community group, is convinced the presence of a new shelter will lead to a spike in crime in Maspeth. "Where are they going to go during the day? What are they going to do?" he said of future residents of the shelter. "No neighborhood that's worth anything would support this kind of facility in their neighborhood. Nobody can say they want to live next to one of these things, because it brings crime, drugs, you name it."
Jose Rodriguez, a member of the homeless advocacy group Picture the Homeless, questioned the premise of the protestors' complaints. "People in Maspeth are concerned about their quality of life, crime, and things of that nature. But have they ever thought about people who are ripped from their communities and their homes, who don’t know what tomorrow’s going to bring?” he said.
"Instead of kicking them while they’re down, have they ever asked what it’s like to be in that situation? I don’t think anybody in their right mind wants to live in a shelter."
Several protesters claimed they're not opposed to placing any kind of homeless shelter in Maspeth, but rather specifically opposed to a shelter that is open to men.
"We don't know their background—we don't know if they're stable," resident Meri Wittman said. "I would feel more comfortable if it were a women or children's shelter."
But Tony Nunziato, a neighborhood florist who served as a Queens election leader for the Trump campaign during the Republican primary, said he would not tolerate a shelter of any sort. "Unless it was 200 nuns, you don't put nobody together that has a problem in society, in a concentrated area, and label them and say 'fend for yourself.'"
Nunziato is one of two anti-shelter activists raising money for an impending suit against the city. A current fundraiser on GoFundMe has already raised more than $12,000 of a $100,000 goal. On Thursday, several protesters handed Nunziato checks.
A number of protesters expressed the belief that Mayor Bill de Blasio is opening the shelter to punish the neighborhood, which voted heavily for Republican Joe Lhota in the 2013 mayoral election.
"Why is everything getting dumped in Queens? It's not just Maspeth, it's all of Queens," said Maspeth resident Linda Daquano. "Why isn't it in Park Slope, where he owns two properties? What's his agenda with Queens?"
The anti-shelter group has planned another march for 1:30 pm today.
Tagged
homeless
homeless shelter
homelessness
maspeth
queens
original
Gaby Del Valle
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Mamdani names re-entry specialist as chair of Rikers oversight board
Christopher Watler will help the department that a federal monitor says remains in crisis.
By
Ryan Kost
Published Oct 6, 2026 at 3:52 p.m. ET
NYC weighs expanding upstate reservoir following drought
The Delaware River Basin Commission is evaluating options to increase water storage, including expanding a reservoir in New York City.
By
Rosemary Misdary
News
NYC weighs expanding upstate reservoir following drought
The Delaware River Basin Commission is evaluating options to increase water storage, including expanding a reservoir in New York City.
By
Rosemary Misdary
Legionella found in Staten Island building's water system after 2 positive cases
By
Catalina Gonella
Legal 'loophole' helps NY Gov. Kathy Hochul, Bruce Blakeman raise millions
By
Jon Campbell
Police identify 2 men wanted for stabbing an off-duty NYPD officer
By
Ben Feuerherd
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .