Parents and activists in Long Island City are urging the city to roll back a plan that would move families out of a hotel shelter in the middle of the school year, warning it will split classrooms and upend kids’ routines. At the center of the fight is a proposal to convert the family shelter at the Royal Stay Hotel into a men’s shelter, a change that families and educators say would scatter students across boroughs just weeks before summer. Meetings at P.S. 112 and public protests this week have pulled the issue into the spotlight in a neighborhood that is no stranger to frequent shelter turnover.
City officials say the relocations are part of a wider reshuffling of the shelter system. The Department of Social Services told PIX11 that most families with children are being placed in transitional housing with in‑unit kitchens, and that the majority have been placed in the borough of their choice. The agency also said that families currently at the Royal Stay will be moved while the school year is in progress. Parents and advocates counter that those assurances do not solve day‑to‑day problems like school transfers, childcare and access to nearby support networks.
Parents And Kids Push Back
“Do not replace them away from their schools!” Councilmember Julie Won told a crowd of parents and educators, pressing the city to keep families close to P.S. 112. Parents including Jackie Garcia warned that losing classmates would “devastate” the school community, and Jennifer Patton said sending classmates far away will create a “negative ripple effect” at the school. Second‑grader Liam Fernandez told reporters he would “feel really sad” if he were separated from his friends, and parent Alexis Kolyonanides said “treating homeless families like commodities is wrong on every level,” according to PIX11.
Some Families Refuse Moves
Activists say some families who were relocated from the nearby City View Inn turned down the placements they were offered and instead chose to camp under an overpass beneath the Long Island Expressway rather than move across the borough. Advocates argue that decision underscores deep mistrust of rapid shelter transfers and serious concerns about whether new placements work for families’ existing schools, childcare and medical care. Organizers are now pushing for clear, written guarantees on school continuity and transportation for any family that has to move.
What Officials Say And What Parents Want
City officials insist they are connecting families to suitable placements and say support services are being arranged, while parents argue those promises need precise timelines and real enforcement. Advocates are calling for a pause on transfers until the end of the academic year, written commitments on students’ school placements and assurances that families have access to kitchens and nearby services. The clash highlights a broader tension over how the city manages shelter capacity alongside neighborhood impacts and children’s education.
For now, families and their supporters say they plan to keep pressure on the Department of Social Services and local councilmembers to find alternatives that keep kids in their current schools. The next few days will reveal whether the administration revises its approach or sticks to the conversion schedule as the school year moves forward.
