Politics & Government

UPDATED: Southampton Officials Set To Discuss Hampton Bays Homeless Shelter

The town board members will meet at noon.

UPDATE: Find out what happened at the meeting by .

The Southampton Town Board is holding a special town board meeting at noon to talk about legal options available to halt a county homeless shelter slated for the the in Hampton Bays, 27east is reporting.

According to the article, the town could possibly seek an injunction against the county for "alleged violations of federal, state and local laws regarding the proposed conversion of the Hidden Cove Motel on West Tiana Road into a full-scale homeless shelter."

Find out what's happening in Westhampton-Hampton Bayswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Issues surrounding the homeless shelter were brought to light during a recent Hampton Bays Civic Association meeting where residents argued that the shelter, which will be run by a Yonkers-based shelter management company, Community Housing Innovations, which is a sub-contractor for Suffolk County, is not right for the community, which is already overburdened with affordable housing.

Eve Houlihan, a member of the civic, said "I'm appalled. There is already a preponderance of affordable housing and Section 8."

Find out what's happening in Westhampton-Hampton Bayswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Residents are also concerned about the impact on the school district. Superintendent Lars Clemensen said he has already received calls about new students from the Hidden Cove Motel.

The deal for the shelter, which was signed six weeks ago, said Greg Blass, the county’s Commissioner of Social Services, would allow for the Hidden Cove Motel to be transformed into a homeless shelter with mostly women and children at a rate of $80 a night, which the county pays. The exact number of residents would be determined by the level of homelessness in Suffolk County.


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