NEW YORK– An attorney with S.T.A.R.R. issued a letter to top City officials Wednesday evening detailing shocking conditions at New York’s first shelter which is supposed to serve T.G.N.C.individuals.
The letter calls attention to a shelter located in Long Island City, Queens operated by Destination Tomorrow, called Ace’s Place. T.G.N.C clients and staff have been complaining for months about unsafe conditions there. Clients say they fear it is only a matter of time before someone is seriously injured or worse.
In the letter sent to City officials today February 18th, Attorney Rose Weber writes:
“I write today to bring to your attention the disturbing and unacceptable conditions at Ace’s Place, the city-funded shelter for trans and gender non-conforming individuals. I am requesting a meeting with you (at your earliest convenience, given the urgency of the matter) in hopes of avoiding litigation”.
The letter requests immediate action on health and safety concerns at Ace’s Place and requests a meeting with Corporation Counsel Steven Banks to discuss reforms and avoid protracted litigation. During the Adams administration Destination Tomorrow was awarded close to a 100 million dollars in ‘no-bid’ government contracts to operate shelters. It's C.O.O. Sean Coleman has in the past been convicted of a number of white collar crimes, including fraud and or embezzlement.
Based on a number of complaints it received from shelter clients and staff, the New York State Office of Temporary Disability Assistance, which oversees shelters statewide, has opened an investigation into Ace’s Place. O.T.D.A. has the power to shut the shelter down, or, to order the City to find a new non-profit to run it.
“No one deserves to be treated the way these clients have been treated. Most say it feels like a prison and not a shelter. Most report roaches, threats of violence or worse. There are ways to operate such a program with dignity, for a fraction of the cost. Tax payers want to know their money is being spent wisely, especially when many working class people in this City cannot afford to get by. Mamdani has a chance to stick to his campaign promise to root out vendors with the City who are not providing the services they’ve been contracted to provide.”
“New Yorkers deserve a Trans-shelter that is clean and well-managed, where clients are safe and where they feel affirmed in their identities. What we have right now is far from this..far from the best we can do” said Mariah Lopez, Executive Director, S.T.A.R.R.
Background
Ace’s Place shelter, located at 37-06 36th Street LIC Queens NY 11101 was opened as a result of previous litigation, Mariah Lopez v. NYC Department of Homeless Services (DHS). Filed during the DeBlasio administration, the case highlighted the City's failure to serve transgender people in safe shelters.
In April 2017, days after Ms Lopez and S.T.A.R.R. first sued the City over its lack of adequate shelters for T.G.N.C. individuals, Kenneth (or Brenda) Bostick, a 59-year-old Black transgender person, was found with fatal head injuries on a Manhattan sidewalk in Chelsea (29th Street and Seventh Avenue) and died shortly after, with the medical examiner ruling it a homicide by blunt force trauma.
In 2021 the City agreed to establish shelter units that “serve and affirm” trans, nonbinary, and gender nonconforming (TGNC) people in Brooklyn, the Bronx, Queens, and Manhattan. No suchshelters have been built to date.
According to the National Center to End Homelessness about 85% of transgender people experiencing homelessness avoid shelters due to fear of harassment or abuse; roughly 63% of homeless transgender individuals are unsheltered, and nearly 1 in 4 transgender youth (18–25) experience homelessness.
The re-election of President Trump in the Fall of 2024 has contributed to a record number of individuals seeking trans-affirming shelter and medical care in New York City. These factors have crystallized the need for more T.G.N.C. shelters and shelter beds.
About S.T.A.R.R.
On February 12th 2026 S.T.A.R.R. played a key role in re-hoisting the Pride Flag at the Stonewall National Monument after President Trump ordered it removed in the days prior.
Originally formed by Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera in 1969 after the Stonewall Rebellion, and called ‘Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries, S.T.A.R./R. is the oldest Trans rights group in the U.S. The organization gave voice to tens of thousands of Americans who did not see themselves reflected in the Gay Rights movement of the late 60’s and early 70’s. In 2012 the organization underwent a name change, shedding the word ‘transvestite’ and styling itself the Strategic Trans Alliance for Radical Reform Today S.T.A.R.R. extends Sylvia and Marsha’s legacy by giving a voice to the voiceless, speaking truth to power.
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