Suffolk housing program to help flood victims

Suffolk County legislators and County Executive Steve Levy are expanding a county affordable housing program so that preference will be given to people displaced by natural disasters - like the torrential rains that flooded streets and basements last March along Horton Road in Riverhead.

Under the existing program, the county transfers some of the properties it seizes for failure to pay taxes to municipalities, which then build affordable housing on the parcels. The subsidized housing is then sold to people who make less than 120 percent of the county's median income - or $124,300 for a family of four.

The joint proposal from Levy and Legis. Ed Romaine (R-Center Moriches), which preserves the income requirement, passed unanimously by the legislature on Tuesday. "We've been trying to do something for these residents," said Romaine's legislative aide, Bill Faulk.

Linda Hobson, a Riverhead resident and community activist, said nine of the almost two dozen families forced to evacuate their homes during the flood haven't returned to their homes in the Horton Road area. "They're staying with friends and or renting temporarily, just managing," she said.

"It's not only going to help the folks on Horton Avenue," Hobson said, "but everybody who's a victim of natural disaster in the future."

The county is moving to transfer three parcels in the area to Riverhead and will be looking for others, said Chief Deputy Executive Chris Kent. One of the parcels is big enough for two homes, he said. In particular trouble are five homeowners, most of whom did not have insurance.

"It gives them some hope they can see the end of this tragedy," Kent said.

The Long Island Builders Institute, a charitable nonprofit, has pledged to help build the housing at a lower rate. The Long Island Housing Partnership has also offered to help.

"This provides hope to for these folks to get back on their feet," Levy said. "From tragedy can come redemption, thanks to the generosity of the builders and the tenacity of the community."

In addition, Levy and Faulk said residents are awaiting possible relief from the Federal Emergency Management Authority.