Queens residents rally against planned shelter

NEW YORK (FOX 5 NEWS) - Dozens of Maspeth, Queens, residents and supporters gathered in front of the Holiday Inn Express hotel on 55th Road as they have on other nights to protest the city's plans to turn it into a homeless shelter for up to 220 adults and children.

The protestors say they're not against helping the homeless but feel the shelter is being pushed on them without proper planning.

The original plan was to open the shelter on October 1, but now that has been delayed. The residents say the rooms, which don't have kitchenettes, are not suitable for families and that they have heard nothing about support services.

The community members say they're determined to put a complete stop to the shelter and are calling on everyone to come out to the Community Board 5 meeting next Wednesday night. They want to send a message to city hall that's loud and clear.

A spokesperson for the department of homeless services told Fox 5 that the department is continuing to review the proposal and the start date for the shelter will be determined after that.