Newsday Editor Says Hidden Cove Is a Good Neighbor

Newsday's interactive editor Anne Michaud has an opinion of the Hampton Bays- based Hidden Cove Motel, which is being used as a Suffolk County homeless shelter, that perhaps not every Hampton Bays resident would agree with.

On Feb. 6 she posted an editorial, calling the shelter a "good neighbor."

She wrote, "This 28-unit shelter has by many accounts been a good neighbor. It is turning people's lives around. And it seems fair that even this playground for the wealthy should hold up a corner of the social safety net."

Michaud goes on to report that the shelter, one of 54 in the county, has been able to help many get back on their feet.

The shelter, since it first opened in October 2011, has had a number of Hampton Bays residents up in arms and sits at the top of the newly-formed Concerned Citizens of Hampton Bays agenda.

The group, which says the shelter causes a burden on the school district, has vowed to fight until the shelter is closed.

The Town of Southampton also stepped in and in early 2011 said it planned to commence legal action against the shelter; however, in March 2012 the board voted not to take legal action, saying it is not a "prudent" move.

In a poll posted on Patch in 2011, readers were split on the use of the motel as a shelter with 42 percent of readers saying they support the shelter and 58 percent they want it closed down.

To read the full Newsday opinion piece, click here and be sure to let us know your thoughts on Newsday's piece or on the shelter by posting a comment below.

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