A monumental shift in the way Social Service rentals are handled that is expected to have a major impact on quality of life issues in many communities is in the works by the new leadership of Brookhaven Town and Suffolk County.
In a letter to County Executive Edward Romaine, Supervisor Daniel Panico spelled out a solution to the problem of absentee landlords and substandard housing that has bedeviled neighborhoods for years. The two Republicans have made cleaning up local communities a hallmark of their public service careers going back more than a decade when Panico, a former councilman, served as Romaine’s deputy.
The new supervisor has formally requested that the County Department of Social Services require inspections of rental properties before payments are issued to landlords. He’s also asking the county to respect the town law that requires all landlords to obtain rental permits. Panico has even offered to have town inspectors assist the county in making sure that subsidized rentals conform to New York State Building and Fire Safety Codes.
“I’m recommending a three-prong approach to this issue,” Panico said in an interview with the South Shore Press. “Number one, the government should not look the other way when poor people and those in need of assistance have to live in substandard and, in some cases, perilous conditions. Two, Suffolk County should play no role in diminishing the quality of life for its residents. And finally, taxpayer dollars must not be spent to house people in poor conditions.”
According to the supervisor, the administration of former County Executive Steve Bellone took advantage of a loophole in state law that allowed for social service funding of rentals without inspections or permits. On the other hand, he notes, under the federal Section 8 Program administered by the town, inspections and permits are required before any U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development money is dispersed.
“Now that Ed Romaine is the county executive, we can finally realize an inter-municipal agreement to address these decades-long problems in our communities,” Panico said, noting that although all areas have experienced problems with rentals, the worst impacts are felt in Coram, Gordon Heights, Mastic/Shirley, and North Bellport. “Just because the state allows counties to bypass local codes doesn’t mean they should,” he added.
"l look forward to continuing my work with Supervisor Panico in cracking down on illegal rentals and substandard housing," County Executive Romaine said. "I will be doing a top-to-bottom review of the Department of Social Services to make sure that when it comes to subsidized housing, the integrity of our communities is maintained and the people who need our help with housing are protected."
Romaine went on to say that the state’s reimbursement for Social Services housing is not sufficient for Suffolk’s housing market and that he will also be looking into the sober home issue.
“These measures are a long time coming,” said Ray Keenan, a director of the Mastic Park Civic Association. “For years, we’ve suffered from being dumped on with illegal rentals, sober homes, and shabby-looking properties owned by landlords who could care less about our community. Hats off to Panico and Romaine for facing this issue head-on in the first month of their new jobs.”
Frank Fugarino, president of the Pattersquash Creek Civic Association, said the initiative should take a bite out of the area’s crime problem. “We should be able to drive down our streets and see houses that are in good repair and not have a negative impact on our quality of life,” he said. “The bigger progress will come from a reduction of crime as a result of better housing and the pursuit of better practices of absentee owners. Some of these large corporations have no way of really knowing what's going on with their properties. These conditions are directly related to absentee ownership,” the civic leader said, adding, “l just saw a video of someone going down the block in the middle of the night checking to see if doors were open. So you wonder, where is this guy coming from? And I'm sure that he is living in a house from an absentee owner who has no clue that he's rented to an undesirable, lawless person.”
“We’re taking a markedly different approach to end this sorrowful tale that has gone on for far too long,” Panico stated. “This will raise the standard of living for everyone,” he said, concluding, “The times they are a changing.”