City Plans: 165-Bed Shelter Proposed in Maspeth

The New York City Department of Social Services intends to open a 165-bed shelter for single adult men at 55-05 Flushing Avenue in Maspeth. This move marks the first step in a three-site expansion plan for Queens, placing the new facility two blocks from the Knockdown Center and Basement nightclubs.

Lantern Community Services will operate the proposed facility. The nonprofit, founded in 1996, currently manages 524 shelter beds and approximately 1,500 supportive and affordable housing units across 20 locations in Brooklyn, Manhattan, and the Bronx. This Flushing Avenue site will be the organization's first presence in Queens.

Council Member Phil Wong learned of the proposal on Monday. He expressed skepticism regarding the timing and the specific location. “The City just informed my office about this proposal, and I have serious concerns about the location and its potential impact on the surrounding community,” Wong said. He noted that businesses and residents already face quality-of-life challenges in the area.

Wong added that adding a large shelter without fully understanding the impacts raises legitimate questions. Representatives for Lantern and the Department of Social Services did not respond to requests for comment by press time. Wong plans to request meetings with both entities to review security, operations, and the rationale behind the site selection.

The Maspeth neighborhood has recently dealt with shelter-related controversy. In early 2024, the Maspeth Jewish Center at 66-64 Grand Avenue prepared to host a 15-bed shelter for asylum seekers. Local residents held a rally to oppose the move. Former Council Member Robert Holden, Wong's predecessor, called the arrangement completely unacceptable at the time.

The shelter at the Jewish Center opened and operated for more than a year. It closed in June 2025 as part of a citywide effort to decommission emergency migrant shelters. The current administration aims to close all remaining such sites by the end of 2026. Holden criticized the city's spending, stating that nearly $6.5 billion was spent housing people he believed had no right to be there.

Homeless shelter demand is rising even as migrant shelters dwindle. The Department of Social Services funded 499 locations citywide as of September 2026. This number is up from 333 sites in 2022. During that same period, the daily shelter population doubled to roughly 83,000 residents.

Queens currently hosts 113 shelter sites, the third-highest count in the city. Brooklyn leads with 153 sites, followed by the Bronx with 136. Manhattan has 90 sites, and Staten Island has 7. The closest existing homeless shelter to Maspeth is the 200-bed Barbara Kleiman Residence in East Williamsburg. That facility emerged from a multi-decade dispute where residents fought to reduce a proposed 1,150-bed plan through a 40-night vigil.

Alongside the Maspeth site, the department plans two other new facilities in Queens. A 200-bed single adult shelter will open at 24-30 Brooklyn Queens Expressway West in Woodside. A 250-unit family shelter is planned for 9-16 27th Avenue in Astoria. No date has been set for a public information session regarding the Maspeth proposal, though Wong expects one to occur eventually.