City proposes a 165-bed men's shelter in industrial Maspeth, and the local council member has 'serious concerns'
The Department of Social Services told Council Member Phil Wong it will pursue a shelter for single adult men at 55-05 Flushing Ave., one of three new Queens sites, the Queens Ledger reported.
Photo: Jim.henderson / Wikimedia Commons · CC0
- DSS notified Council Member Phil Wong on Nov. 2 that it will pursue a 165-bed shelter for single adult men at 55-05 Flushing Ave. in Maspeth, the Queens Ledger reported.
- The nonprofit Lantern Community Services, which runs 524 shelter beds in Brooklyn, Manhattan and the Bronx, would operate it, its first site in Queens.
- Wong said he has serious concerns about the location and will ask DSS and Lantern for meetings on security, operations and why the site was chosen.
- DSS also plans a 200-bed adult shelter at 24-30 Brooklyn Queens Expressway West in Woodside and a 250-unit family shelter at 9-16 27th Ave. in Astoria.
- DHS says it notifies elected officials and the community board once a provider's shelter proposal is approved, then works with the board on a public meeting. No date is set.
The city is planning a 165-bed shelter for single adult men at 55-05 Flushing Ave. in an industrial stretch of Maspeth, Queens, and the area's council member says he has "serious concerns," the Queens Ledger reported Monday.
The Department of Social Services notified Council Member Phil Wong on Monday that it will pursue the site, about two blocks from the Knockdown Center and Basement nightclubs, according to the Ledger. It is one of three new shelters the agency plans in Queens.
Who would run it
The shelter would be operated by Lantern Community Services, a nonprofit founded in 1996 that manages 524 shelter beds and nearly 1,500 supportive and affordable apartments at 20 locations in Brooklyn, Manhattan and the Bronx, the Ledger reported. Maspeth would be its first site in Queens. DSS and Lantern did not respond to the paper's requests for comment.
What the council member said
Wong said in a statement that the city had just informed his office and that businesses and residents in the area already deal with quality-of-life problems. He said he will ask DSS and Lantern for meetings on "security, operations, and the rationale for selecting this location," and expects a public information session, though no date has been set, according to the Ledger.
Two more Queens sites
DSS also plans a 200-bed shelter for single adults at 24-30 Brooklyn Queens Expressway West in Woodside and a 250-unit family shelter at 9-16 27th Ave. in Astoria, the Ledger reported.
How the process works
Under its siting process, the Department of Homeless Services says it formally notifies local elected officials and the community board once it has approved a shelter proposal from a nonprofit provider, and then works with the community board to hold a public meeting, according to the agency's community page.
The bigger picture
The city funded 499 shelter locations as of September, up from 333 in 2022, and the daily shelter population has roughly doubled in that time to about 83,000 people, the Ledger reported, citing DSS figures. Queens has 113 sites, behind Brooklyn's 153 and the Bronx's 136. The closest shelter to Maspeth today is the 200-bed Barbara Kleiman Residence in East Williamsburg, according to the paper.
A smaller, 15-bed shelter for asylum seekers at the Maspeth Jewish Center on Grand Avenue drew protests in 2024 and closed in June 2025.
- Queens Ledger165-Bed Men's Shelter Proposed in Maspeth
- NYC Department of Homeless ServicesWorking with Communities
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