The city has approved a contract for the former Westway Motel in East Elmhurst to become a permanent homeless shelter.
The Department of Homeless Services tells NY1 the city has issued a nearly $24,000,000, multi-year contract for the facility. The agency had already been using the motel on Astoria Boulevard and 71st Street as a temporary shelter for families during emergency situations.
Non-profit Women in Need will run the shelter.
The city's contract includes all services, food, programming and housing for the shelter's residents.
Neighborhood residents have been fighting the Westway's conversion into a shelter for years. At a Town Hall meeting on the issue last July, residents said they were worried about safety and how the influx of new families would affect the area.