Island Shores

Island Shores sits on the south shore of Staten Island looking out over New York Bay, and in recent years it's gone through several changes, since it started out in the 1970s as Midland Manor, has served as a senior residence, homeless shelter, and most recently as a migrant shelter, and now the building houses up to 113 families and is operated by the nonprofit Homes for the Homeless, so it's often the focus of both community concerns and political discussions about its use and sale. In its years as a senior living community at 1111 Father Capodanno Boulevard, folks could find all the usual comforts like furnished rooms with private bathrooms, cable-ready and internet connections, wall-to-wall carpeting, chandeliers in shared spaces, and kitchenettes and telephones in each apartment. The place offered a fitness center, a lawn and garden area, a billiards room, and a bicycle room, and there were always activities happening-things like arts and crafts classes, cardio fitness, yoga, computer lessons, lectures, live entertainment, and even trips out to places like Atlantic City. Residents got daily meals with options for special diets in an elegant dining room, private dining areas for personal gatherings, and housekeeping and laundry made daily life easier. There was also a full-service beauty and barber shop, a library, a theater for nightly movies, and a computer room, plus banking and postal services right there in the building. They kept up with the simple needs like cleaning, cooking, and maintenance, and had programs led by a full-time social director covering everything from parlor games and painting to gardening and social hours. For transportation, there was parking on site, and families who wanted to know more could always check the website. These days, since its conversion, it's still a place where people look for support and services, only now the focus is on shelter for migrant families, and the property and its management often come up in talks about community needs and city government policy.