By Rick LaRivière and M. Thomas Nast with Richard Luthmann
The Shelter Fight That Opened the Door
(STATEN ISLAND, NEW YORK) – Port Richmond just gave Kamillah Hanks a headline built for outrage. A planned shelter at 109 Port Richmond Avenue would house up to 64 adult families and be run by Project Hospitality.
Hanks and Borough President Vito Fossella said the city never gave the notice that local law requires. Hanks’ office said there was no phone call, no email, and no mailed notice. The city code is plain. The Department of Homeless Services must notify elected officials and the local community board when it sites a new shelter.
Yet city officials told the paper they emailed letters to Hanks and Fossella on February 20. The City Record separately published a proposed five-year contract for Project Hospitality worth $37,629,167, starting July 1, 2026.
That dispute let Hanks swing hard at Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s administration. She cast herself as the defender of process, neighborhood notice, and Staten Island respect…