SCHUMER TO FEDS: TRANSFER VACANT ARMY RESERVE PROPERTY TO TOWN OF BABYLON FOR HOMELESS VET HOUSING
Housing Development Will Provide 60 Apartments for Homeless Vets, But Project Would be Ground to Halt If Department of Defense and HUD Don't Approve Land Transfer
Schumer Calls on Agencies to Quickly Grant Approval so that Construction Can Begin; $12 Million in Financing Hangs in the Balance
Schumer: Our Vets Gave Everything for Their Country - This is the Least We Can Do for Those Who Are Most Vulnerable
United States Senator Charles E. Schumer, joined by local veterans and veterans organizations and officials from the Town of Babylon, called on the Department of Defense and the Department of Housing and Urban Development to immediately move forward with the transfer of land from a former Army Reserve base in North Amityville to the Town of Babylon so that an affordable housing project for homeless vets on Long Island can be constructed. Developers of the project have a tight timeline to break ground by August 2012 in order to secure $12 million in financing through the federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program, but need the feds to sign off on the transfer of the property before construction can occur. Once the project is completed, 60 units of handicapped accessible housing units will be constructed for homeless veterans and their families.
"When our soldiers willingly sacrifice life and limb for their country, at the very least they should expect a place to live when they come home" said Schumer. "One homeless veteran is one too many, and this project will help provide decent and comfortable living for veterans and their families who are struggling with homelessness. The Departments of Defense and Housing and Urban Development need to sign off on this land transfer as quickly as possible; the sooner they do, the sooner we can ensure our local vets have a place to call home."
The Town of Babylon is seeking control of roughly 16 acres of federal land formerly home to the North Amityville Armed Forces Reserve Center, which was operational until late 2011. Working with a well-established not-for-profit affordable housing developer, Concern for Independent Living, the Town is seeking to construct a total of 60 units of handicap accessible affordable housing, dedicated to veterans and their families. The plan would also call for using one of the buildings onsite as the headquarters for the Long Island Coalition for the Homeless. Currently, Concern for Independent Living assists approximately 550 households in over 200 locations across New York State, including facilities in East Patchogue, Sayville, and Riverhead.
An application was submitted by the Town of Babylon and Concern for Independent Living to the Departments of Defense and Housing and Urban Development on January 19th, outlining the contours of the development agreement between the two parties, and requesting the property be transferred from federal control for the purposes of developing affordable housing for homeless veterans on Long Island. Without the transfer, the project cannot move forward. Schumer called on both Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan to sign off immediately on the application in order for the town and the developer to break ground before August and maintain their construction schedule for 2013.
The project is targeting $12 million in funding from Federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credits, on top of the already secured $1.2 million of funding that was committed as part of a lump sum economic development package awarded by New York State to Long Island for transformative projects. In order to receive the $12 million in low-income housing tax credits, the developer must break ground by August 2012. Concerned for Living began the acquisition process for the project four years ago. The total project is slated to cost roughly $21 million dollars and Schumer pointed out that an expeditious transfer of the property will also allow the Town and the Developer to seek additional revenue sources that could otherwise be more difficult without ownership of the land.
The United States Departments of Housing and Urban Development and Veterans Affairs estimate that over 67,000 veterans are homeless in America on any given night. More disturbingly, while only eight percent of the general population in the United States can claim veteran status, nearly one fifth of the homeless population is made up of veterans. While precise numbers of homeless veterans are difficult to establish, according to the Suffolk Continuum of Care's 2011 Point-in-Time Count, more than 2,300 individuals in Suffolk County were homeless on any given night, with more than 320 of them identified as veterans. The VA Medical Center at Northport estimated in their 2009 CHALENG Report there were nearly 600 homeless vets on Long Island, while Concerned for Independent Living believes the number is likely closer to 1,000.
Schumer has a successful track record of working to develop former military property into affordable housing for veterans. In Rockland County, Schumer was successful in having excess land transferred from federal control at the former Camp Shanks site and leased to local officials for the purpose of developing affordable housing for homeless veterans and their families. The project, Home for Heroes, is currently being constructed and has been a partnership between Senator Schumer and Rockland County Legislator John Murphy.
Standing at the site of the proposed development, Schumer pledged to put on a full court press on the Departments of Defense and Housing and Urban Development to see the land transferred and the project completed as quickly as possible.
"My message to the Department of Defense and HUD is very simple: transfer this land so that we can get our veterans off the streets and out of shelters and into safe and comfortable homes where they can live with the dignity they deserve," continued Schumer.
A copy of Schumer's letter to Secretary Panetta and Secretary Donovan can be found below.
Dear Secretaries Donovan and Panetta,
I write to urge you to work expeditiously to approve a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) recently submitted by the Town of Babylon, New York and not-for-profit organization Concern for Independent Living. If completed, this MOU would facilitate the former transfer of United States Army Reserve property to the Town of Babylon, who would work with Concern for Independent Living to construct 61 affordable supportive housing units for the homeless veteran population on the site. The MOU would also provide a building on site for the Long Island Coalition for the Homeless.
Based in Medford, New York, Concern for Independent Living is dedicated to the provision of safe and affordable housing for individuals and families to facilitate their transition out of homelessness. The organization currently assists approximately 550 households in over 200 locations located throughout New York. I hope that we can work together today with Concern for Independent Living and the Town of Babylon to approve and complete the Memorandum of Understanding in order to make a difference among the homeless veteran population in New York.
As you may know, the United States Departments of Housing and Urban Development and Veterans Affairs estimate that over 67,000 veterans are homeless on any given night. More disturbingly, while only eight percent of the general population in the United States can claim veteran status, nearly one fifth of the homeless population is made up of veterans. I believe very strongly that one homeless veteran is one too many and encourage you to work swiftly on this MOU to see that the Town of Babylon and Concern for Independent Living can move forward on their plans to construct affordable housing opportunities for the brave men and women who fought to protect our country.
Thank you for consideration of this request. Please feel free to contact my office at your convenience if you have any additional questions at this time