West Babylon homeless shelter Our Lady of Grace property can remain open, with compliance, town says
Babylon Town officials said a nonprofit that operates a homeless shelter out of Our Lady of Grace Roman Catholic Church in West Babylon can stay open if it complies with town code. Credit: Newsday/Steve Pfost
Babylon Town officials will allow a West Babylon homeless shelter that has been operating illegally to remain open as long as they bring the facility into compliance with town code and only allow female senior citizens to stay there.
The town on May 6 sent the nonprofit Family Service League notice that the Albin Avenue building it was using to shelter 40 men and women did not have a certificate of occupancy for that use. The building’s last certificate of occupancy was issued for Christa House, which from 1998 to 2009 served as a hospice for those dying of AIDS-related illnesses. The certificate of occupancy allowed 12 bedrooms with one occupant in each, town officials said.
Babylon ordered the nonprofit to relocate its residents by June 30, at which time the property would be “vacated, deemed unsafe and condemned,” according to the May 6 letter.
Family Service League had been operating a shelter at the site since December, after signing a lease with property owner Our Lady of Grace Roman Catholic Church, records show.
The nonprofit has a contract with Suffolk County's Department of Social Services to provide emergency housing for homeless people. Newsday obtained a copy of the contract from the county after being required to file a Freedom of Information Law request. The contract, which began July 1, 2022, and runs until June 30, 2025, states that as of 2022 the nonprofit is reimbursed for each adult single person it houses at rates ranging from $135 to $158 per day, depending on location.
According to Family Service League’s five-year lease with the church, the nonprofit is responsible for paying $120,000 in rent for the first year.
After the initial town letter, the shelter reduced its residents to 20 women. But since the reduction the town has received complaints from neighbors about residents' actions impacting their quality of life.
On June 26, town attorney Jerry Guarino sent an email to a Family Service League attorney mentioning the incidents and requiring the nonprofit reduce the number of women at the shelter to 12 “female senior citizens” 55 and older, who would be allowed to stay pending a “change in use” application to the town.
“We’re trying to find a section of the population that is not going to interfere with the neighbors’ lives,” Guarino told Newsday.
Family Service League spokesman Don Miller said in an email Thursday the nonprofit will be “restricting the facility to women over 55 years old” and capping the number at 12.
Miller said all incidents mentioned in the email were "reviewed by FSL with the town and resolved accordingly."
“FSL will continue to be proactive in working with elected officials to balance the well-being of the people we shelter while remaining sensitive to the neighbors around the facility,” Miller said.
Guarino said the nonprofit will have until the end of the year to get a new certificate of occupancy.
“It’s a balancing act,” Guarino said. "We’re trying not to be insensitive about things but at the same time we have a code to follow and we have residents who are paying a lot of taxes who we need to tend to.”
Joni Trizio, 55, who lives across the street from the shelter, said a resident knocked on her door at 6:45 a.m. last month asking her to call 911 because her phone was stolen.
“It does make me feel better [to have seniors] if they’re going to be people who can respect the neighborhood,” she said.
Albin Avenue resident Hassan Hamza, 71, said he has had no incidents with residents.
“I can’t stand the Long Island NIMBYists,” he said.
“Homeless people have to be put somewhere," he added. "It just has to be done properly.”
Babylon Town officials will allow a West Babylon homeless shelter that has been operating illegally to remain open as long as they bring the facility into compliance with town code and only allow female senior citizens to stay there.
The town on May 6 sent the nonprofit Family Service League notice that the Albin Avenue building it was using to shelter 40 men and women did not have a certificate of occupancy for that use. The building’s last certificate of occupancy was issued for Christa House, which from 1998 to 2009 served as a hospice for those dying of AIDS-related illnesses. The certificate of occupancy allowed 12 bedrooms with one occupant in each, town officials said.
Babylon ordered the nonprofit to relocate its residents by June 30, at which time the property would be “vacated, deemed unsafe and condemned,” according to the May 6 letter.
Family Service League had been operating a shelter at the site since December, after signing a lease with property owner Our Lady of Grace Roman Catholic Church, records show.
The nonprofit has a contract with Suffolk County's Department of Social Services to provide emergency housing for homeless people. Newsday obtained a copy of the contract from the county after being required to file a Freedom of Information Law request. The contract, which began July 1, 2022, and runs until June 30, 2025, states that as of 2022 the nonprofit is reimbursed for each adult single person it houses at rates ranging from $135 to $158 per day, depending on location.
According to Family Service League’s five-year lease with the church, the nonprofit is responsible for paying $120,000 in rent for the first year.
After the initial town letter, the shelter reduced its residents to 20 women. But since the reduction the town has received complaints from neighbors about residents' actions impacting their quality of life.
On June 26, town attorney Jerry Guarino sent an email to a Family Service League attorney mentioning the incidents and requiring the nonprofit reduce the number of women at the shelter to 12 “female senior citizens” 55 and older, who would be allowed to stay pending a “change in use” application to the town.
“We’re trying to find a section of the population that is not going to interfere with the neighbors’ lives,” Guarino told Newsday.
Family Service League spokesman Don Miller said in an email Thursday the nonprofit will be “restricting the facility to women over 55 years old” and capping the number at 12.
Miller said all incidents mentioned in the email were "reviewed by FSL with the town and resolved accordingly."
“FSL will continue to be proactive in working with elected officials to balance the well-being of the people we shelter while remaining sensitive to the neighbors around the facility,” Miller said.
Guarino said the nonprofit will have until the end of the year to get a new certificate of occupancy.
“It’s a balancing act,” Guarino said. "We’re trying not to be insensitive about things but at the same time we have a code to follow and we have residents who are paying a lot of taxes who we need to tend to.”
Joni Trizio, 55, who lives across the street from the shelter, said a resident knocked on her door at 6:45 a.m. last month asking her to call 911 because her phone was stolen.
“It does make me feel better [to have seniors] if they’re going to be people who can respect the neighborhood,” she said.
Albin Avenue resident Hassan Hamza, 71, said he has had no incidents with residents.
“I can’t stand the Long Island NIMBYists,” he said.
“Homeless people have to be put somewhere," he added. "It just has to be done properly.”
Denise Bonilla has worked at Newsday since 2003 and covers the Town of Babylon, including the villages of Lindenhurst and Amityville.
'I'm going to try to avoid it' A trip to the emergency room in a Long Island hospital now averages nearly 4 hours, data shows. NewsdayTV's Virginia Huie reports.
'I'm going to try to avoid it' A trip to the emergency room in a Long Island hospital now averages nearly 4 hours, data shows. NewsdayTV's Virginia Huie reports.
