An image from a DEP report about flooding in southeast Queens in the summer of 2010.
After months of pressure from residents of an area plagued by poor drainage and rising groundwater, the city recently announced a set of measures to keep Southeast Queens dry—or at least drier—this spring and summer.
Three-quarter homes give people who are homeless, leaving prison or seeking substance-abuse treatment a place to stay. But critics say the houses are unregulated and sometimes unsafe.
At some dormitories for homeless people, lawyers allege, landlords forced tenants to attend particular drug programs and failed to provide safe housing. But operators say they were trying to do good—or at least following the law.
The unregulated rooming houses often feature crowded, unsafe conditions. But even some critics point out that they play an important role in keeping people off the street.
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