{"id":165718,"date":"2026-03-17T01:18:28","date_gmt":"2026-03-17T01:18:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/165718\/"},"modified":"2026-03-17T01:18:28","modified_gmt":"2026-03-17T01:18:28","slug":"magnolia-gardens-transitional-housing-facility-opens-marking-first-pet-inclusive-family-shelter-in-flushing-qns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/165718\/","title":{"rendered":"Magnolia Gardens transitional housing facility opens, marking first pet-inclusive family shelter in Flushing \u2013 QNS"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\"magnolia\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Magnolia Gardens at 39-03 College Point Blvd. in Flushing.<\/p>\n

Photo by Ramy Mahmoud<\/p>\n

Several local elected officials and community leaders were on hand to celebrate the opening of Magnolia Gardens, a transitional family housing facility with 90 residential units at 39-03 College Point Blvd. in Flushing<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Elected officials, local leaders and community members take part in a ribbon-cutting ceremony marking the opening of Magnolia Gardens in Flushing. Photo by Ramy Mahmoud<\/p>\n

The 7-story facility marks the first pet-inclusive family shelter in the neighborhood, as well as the first transitional shelter in New York City built to Passive House standards. The 90 apartment-style units are intended for homeless families.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>The interior of one of the units at Magnolia Gardens. Photo by Ramy Mahmoud<\/p>\n

Supporting the Urban Resource Institute\u2019s<\/a> People and Animals Living Safely program, the building allows for pets in designated units. The Urban Resource Institute and Asians Americans for Equality also lead a housing services and retention collaborative at Magnolia Gardens that brings together Flushing-based nonprofit groups to help expand awareness of transitional housing options and improve access to culturally responsive services.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Pets will be allowed in designated units. Photo by Ramy Mahmoud<\/p>\n

Among those on hand for the grand opening celebration were Queens Borough President Donovan Richards, Assemblymember Ron Kim, Urban Resource Institute Chief Executive Officer Nathaniel Fields, Senior Vice President of Housing Initiatives Angela Thompson, General Counsel Lydia Wong and Chief External Affairs Officer Lauren Schuster, New York City Department of Social Services<\/a> Commissioner Erin Dalton, New York City Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Dr. Helen Arteaga, Community Board 7 Member Peter Tu and Asian Americans for Equality<\/a> Executive Director Thomas Yu.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>(Left to right) Urban Resource Institute Chief Executive Officer Nathaniel Fields, New York City Department of Social Services Commissioner Erin Dalton, Queens Borough President Donovan Richards and New York City Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Dr. Helen Arteaga were among those on hand for the grand opening celebration of Magnolia Gardens. Photo by Ramy Mahmoud<\/p>\n

\u201cNew York City\u2019s charter guarantees the right to shelter \u2014 and this Administration is committed to ensuring that shelters are not just accessible but also livable, safe and high quality. Magnolia House is exactly the type of shelter this Administration is committed to opening,\u201d New York City Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Dr. Helen Arteaga said. \u201cNew Yorkers experiencing homelessness deserve to live dignified lives in high-quality, culturally diverse shelters, like Magnolia, that represent the security and stability we\u2019re promising in this new era for the City.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Dr. Helen Arteaga speaks at the Magnolia Gardens opening ceremony. Photo by Ramy Mahmoud<\/p>\n

Magnolia Gardens features a highly insulated and airtight construction, advanced ventilation systems and efficient heating and cooling, with the latter meant to reduce energy use and improve indoor air quality. All these features are intended to create a healthier, quieter and more resilient living environment for families while reducing long-term environmental impact.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Photo by Ramy Mahmoud<\/p>\n

\u201cMagnolia Gardens exemplifies the city\u2019s efforts to transform the shelter system by enhancing supports for vulnerable New Yorkers as we look to phase out the use of older shelter sites that don\u2019t meet our standards. We are investing in novel shelter development models that empower our not-for-profit partners to own sites which are designed to meet the unique needs of our clients and ensure high-quality, trauma-informed settings that are foundational to helping them stabilize their lives,\u201d Department of Social Services Commissioner Erin Dalton said. \u201cWith the opening of this site, we are building on our long-standing partnership with the Urban Resources Institute, which has helped countless families get back on their feet and secure long-term housing stability. To see the realization of our investments in innovative models that continue to raise the bar reinforces our commitment to embracing bold ideas that reimagine the city\u2019s transitional housing ecosystem for vulnerable New Yorkers.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Erin Dalton speaks at the opening ceremony for Magnolia Gardens. Photo by Ramy Mahmoud<\/p>\n

Designed as a culturally responsive, trauma-informed facility, Magnolia Gardens has multilingual, 24-hour family-centered services available to residents. This includes case management, housing navigation, job readiness training, financial coaching and therapeutic support intended to help these residents transition into permanent housing.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Photo by Ramy Mahmoud<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a city, we must lead with innovation and humanity. Magnolia Gardens is the first facility of its\u00a0kind in Flushing and Queens, and it has been a long time coming. We are proud to open a\u00a0space where families can find safety, stability and dignity when they need most,\u201d Urban Resource Institute CEO\u00a0Nathaniel Fields said. \u201cMagnolia Gardens will be first facility in\u00a0New York City where families entering shelter through the NYC PATH intake system can bring\u00a0their pets with them through our People and Animals Living Safely (PALS) program, removing a\u00a0barrier that has kept too many families from seeking help. This project reflects URI\u2019s deep\u00a0commitment to culturally responsive care. Flushing is one of the most diverse communities in\u00a0New York City, and we worked closely with our partners, developers and the local community\u00a0to ensure this building reflects and respects that diversity. From multilingual services to\u00a0thoughtful design and programming, Magnolia Gardens was built to meet families where they\u00a0are and create an environment where every family feels seen, welcomed and supported.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Nathaniel Fields speaks during the grand opening celebration of Magnolia Gardens. Photo by Ramy Mahmoud<\/p>\n

Families will be referred to Magnolia Gardens through New York City\u2019s intake system. Queens-based families will be prioritized, allowing for community ties and school continuity to be maintained.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>The kitchen of one of the units at Magnolia Gardens. Photo by Ramy Mahmoud<\/p>\n

\u201cWith more than 85,000 New Yorkers, including nearly 30,000 children, currently living in city homeless shelters, we must move with a sense of urgency in building homes for those in need of one the most. That\u2019s why I\u2019m so excited to help cut the ribbon on the new Magnolia Gardens complex in Flushing,\u201d Queens Borough President Donovan Richards said. \u201cWelcome home to the 90 families moving into Magnolia Gardens and thank you to our partners at Asian Americans for Equality and the Urban Resource Institute for their commitment to building high-quality and culturally competent supportive housing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Queens Borough President Donovan Richards at the celebration marking the opening of Magnolia Gardens in Flushing. Photo by Ramy Mahmoud<\/p>\n

Urban Architectural Initiatives<\/a> designed Magnolia Gardens. The building was developed by the Urban Resource Institute, the New York City Department of Social Services and Asian Americans for Equality.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>The building also features a laundry room. Photo by Ramy Mahmoud<\/p>\n

\u201cMagnolia Gardens is a bold and innovative response to the persistent housing crisis in New York City and the desperate need in our community for high-quality transitional housing,\u201d Asian Americans for Equality Executive Director Thomas Yu said. \u201cThe need was demonstrated once again last month when our elected officials approached AAFE to partner on potential housing options for residents displaced by a devastating fire in Elmhurst, Queens. Two years ago, AAFE established a navigation program, with services in Chinese and Korean, to help families with children access Magnolia Gardens and other transitional housing opportunities. We are looking forward to working with our community partners and elected officials to ensure this program is sustainable and has the resources required to meet the needs of Flushing\u2019s most vulnerable families.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Thomas Yu speaks during the grand opening celebration for Magnolia Gardens. Photo by Ramy Mahmoud<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Magnolia Gardens at 39-03 College Point Blvd. in Flushing. Photo by Ramy Mahmoud Several local elected officials and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":165719,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[68021,310,68022,9,24,63,122,124,123,68023],"class_list":["post-165718","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-queens","tag-39-03-college-point-boulevard","tag-daily-newsletter","tag-magnolia-gardens","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-nyc","tag-queens","tag-queens-headlines","tag-queens-news","tag-transitional-housing-facility"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/165718","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=165718"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/165718\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/165719"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=165718"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=165718"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=165718"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}