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MEDIA RELEASE AUGUST 11, 2009 |
CONTACT:
JOSHUA SLAUGHTER |
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Browning and Lesko Combine County/Town Resources to Eliminate Neighborhood Nightmare
(From left to right: Councilwoman Connie Kepert (D-Middle Island), Supervisor Mark Lesko (D-East Setauket), Rocco Toscano, and Legislator Kate Browning (WF-Shirley) Councilwoman Connie Kepert, Supervisor Lesko and Legislator Browning standing with Rocco Toscano in front of 75 Auburn Ave. Mr. Toscano lives across the street from the problem sober home and for the past year dealt with the constant disruption of his quality of life. Mr. Toscano was the first resident to bring the problem to Legislator Browning’s attention in September of 2008. Mastic, NY-Legislator Kate Browning (WF-Shirley), Brookhaven Town Supervisor Mark Lesko (D-East Setauket) and Councilwoman Connie Kepert (D-Middle Island) shut down an illegal sober home in Shirley this past week, eliminating a major problem in the community. The home at 75 Auborn Avenue in Shirley had been a major safety issue for over a year, and neighbors were ecstatic when the house was shuttered because of code violations and unsafe living conditions. Legislator Browning has been targeting 75 Auborn Avenue since constituents began calling her office last year regarding drug activity, unsafe housing conditions, overcrowding, and neighborhood disturbances that resulted in local emergency services having to repeatedly respond to the home. The home’s owner was advertising the residence as a self-proclaimed “sober home.” The Department of Social Services and Social Security were making payments to the landlord on behalf of some of the tenants. The situation escalated when the homeowner went to the Brookhaven Town Board of Zoning Appeals in June in an attempt to get approval for a variance to allow even more tenants. Residents from the surrounding area attended the meeting in large numbers to protest any expansion to the home. There were already more than 20 tenants in the home. The hearing also provided several key facts that led Legislator Browning and Supervisor Lesko to finally condemn the home. The landlord admitted that he did not have an approved certificate of occupancy for parts of the home, and he was subletting the property to the residents. Browning requested that the town ask the Department of Social Services to withhold payments to the landlord because of the health and safety violations. The county agreed and payments were withheld. To follow up the county’s action, a Town of Brookhaven housing inspector gained access to the home, which led to the discovery of deplorable housing conditions. Code violations carrying fines in excess of $15,000 were issued. “This so-called ‘sober home’ was a disaster for the residents living there, and destroyed the quality of life in the surrounding neighborhood,” said Browning. “I have made it my priority to battle every landlord who thinks they can rent a house to multiple individuals looking for drug treatment, but in fact does nothing more than provide a haven to sell and do drugs while the landlord profits. There are more homes like this and we are sending the message that you won’t get away with it any more. Supervisor Lesko’s Quality of Life Task Force is another tool we can use to punish the worst offenders, and I thank him for his assistance in ending this nightmare.” “Illegal sober homes pose significant dangers to the welfare of tenants, neighbors and emergency rescue workers-and blight our communities,” said Lesko. “As this shutdown on Auburn Avenue in Shirley demonstrates, suburban slumlords and serial offenders will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.” "Thanks to the work of the Town of Brookhaven's Law Department and our Housing and Community Development Department we were able to close down this overcrowded halfway house that has been a burden to the surrounding neighbors," said Councilwoman Kepert. New York State’s Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services does not require private homes such as 75 Auburn Avenue to get certified or provide specific programs for drug treatment, something Legislator Browning has been advocating for. “In May, I led a delegation of civic leaders to Albany to push for sober home regulation, and reform of our social services system that pays these landlords,” concluded Browning. “We are doing what we can on the county and town level, but New York State continues to ignore the need for change. Sober homes need to be regulated and better oversight is a must.” In coming months Legislator Browning plans to hold public hearings regarding sober homes to bring more attention to the growing problem, and to allow residents to share their experiences and the impact these unregulated homes have had on residential communities and the lives of individuals that are seeking help. |
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