Babylon aims to prioritze affordable housing for first responders
Members of the North Amityville Fire Department are shown at their firehouse on Broadway on Monday. Credit: Neil Miller
Babylon Town is weighing a measure that would give volunteer firefighters and ambulance workers priority for affordable housing opportunities.
First responders would have preference over other residents to buy or rent affordable housing in Babylon Town. Priority would be based on length of service.
The measure, which will be the subject of a public hearing on Wednesday, would apply to housing that developers are required to allocate for certain projects. Under town law, developers with projects containing five or more units must set aside 20% as affordable. Affordable housing is designated for residents or families whose incomes are a percentage of the area median income. For Nassau and Suffolk County, the median income for an individual is $109,350.
Councilman Terence McSweeney, a volunteer with the North Babylon fire department who introduced the measure, said fire departments have struggled to attract and keep members — putting a strain on operations.
"We’ll do anything we can to incentivize these guys and girls to join and to stay with the department," he said.
Babylon is the latest municipality to consider the proposal. In August, Huntington Town adopted a similar first responder measure, as did the Town of Southold in July 2023.
Robert Leonard, a spokesman for the Firefighters Association of the State of New York, said recruiting and retaining firefighters is an issue statewide.
"Those challenges are especially profound on Long Island due to the economics of our region," he said. He said his organization approves of any effort that allows volunteers to "continue to live in the communities they grew up in or move to communities that provide affordable housing opportunities."
Ian Wilder, executive director of Long Island Housing Services, a fair housing nonprofit in Bohemia, expressed concern about the proposal and limiting "access to the small pool of affordable housing" that exists.
Giving preference to certain groups of people toward housing has been ineffective, he said. There are "existing systems of segregation [that] often impact individuals’ ability to take advantage of those preferences," Wilder said.
Wilder pointed to a 2007 lawsuit that challenged a Town of Smithtown law that gave town residents and workers preference toward federally funded rent vouchers. The Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law sued on behalf of four minority women. The plaintiffs said the law discriminated against minorities because the town had a white population of 93%.
In 2009, Smithtown paid $925,000 to settle the case, Newsday reported.
Wilder questioned whether the proposal would incentivize volunteers. He cited national studies showing other factors that contribute to declining recruitment numbers, including internal department conflicts.
"It should be determined if the proposed solution ... will help increase their ranks," he said.
Michael Benloss, third assistant chief for the North Amityville Fire Company, said he believes the proposed measure could give a "significant boost" to his department.
"We’re just like any other department; we’re almost in a crisis point with volunteers," he said.
As head of recruitment, he said he speaks with prospective members about the realities of volunteering on Long Island, where the cost of living is high.
"I tell them, look, your bills come first," he said. "It does come up a lot. It seems like we lose them as fast as we get them."
Babylon Town is weighing a measure that would give volunteer firefighters and ambulance workers priority for affordable housing opportunities.
First responders would have preference over other residents to buy or rent affordable housing in Babylon Town. Priority would be based on length of service.
The measure, which will be the subject of a public hearing on Wednesday, would apply to housing that developers are required to allocate for certain projects. Under town law, developers with projects containing five or more units must set aside 20% as affordable. Affordable housing is designated for residents or families whose incomes are a percentage of the area median income. For Nassau and Suffolk County, the median income for an individual is $109,350.
Councilman Terence McSweeney, a volunteer with the North Babylon fire department who introduced the measure, said fire departments have struggled to attract and keep members — putting a strain on operations.
"We’ll do anything we can to incentivize these guys and girls to join and to stay with the department," he said.
Babylon is the latest municipality to consider the proposal. In August, Huntington Town adopted a similar first responder measure, as did the Town of Southold in July 2023.
Robert Leonard, a spokesman for the Firefighters Association of the State of New York, said recruiting and retaining firefighters is an issue statewide.
"Those challenges are especially profound on Long Island due to the economics of our region," he said. He said his organization approves of any effort that allows volunteers to "continue to live in the communities they grew up in or move to communities that provide affordable housing opportunities."
Ian Wilder, executive director of Long Island Housing Services, a fair housing nonprofit in Bohemia, expressed concern about the proposal and limiting "access to the small pool of affordable housing" that exists.
Giving preference to certain groups of people toward housing has been ineffective, he said. There are "existing systems of segregation [that] often impact individuals’ ability to take advantage of those preferences," Wilder said.
Wilder pointed to a 2007 lawsuit that challenged a Town of Smithtown law that gave town residents and workers preference toward federally funded rent vouchers. The Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law sued on behalf of four minority women. The plaintiffs said the law discriminated against minorities because the town had a white population of 93%.
In 2009, Smithtown paid $925,000 to settle the case, Newsday reported.
Wilder questioned whether the proposal would incentivize volunteers. He cited national studies showing other factors that contribute to declining recruitment numbers, including internal department conflicts.
"It should be determined if the proposed solution ... will help increase their ranks," he said.
Michael Benloss, third assistant chief for the North Amityville Fire Company, said he believes the proposed measure could give a "significant boost" to his department.
"We’re just like any other department; we’re almost in a crisis point with volunteers," he said.
As head of recruitment, he said he speaks with prospective members about the realities of volunteering on Long Island, where the cost of living is high.
"I tell them, look, your bills come first," he said. "It does come up a lot. It seems like we lose them as fast as we get them."
Denise Bonilla has worked at Newsday since 2003 and covers the Town of Babylon, including the villages of Lindenhurst and Amityville.
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