Vets' housing planned in N. Amityville

With the backing of town leaders, a nonprofit housing agency has announced plans to build a $21 million apartment development -- primarily for homeless veterans and their families -- on the site of a closed Army Reserve base in North Amityville.

Construction of the 61 handicapped-accessible, condo-style units could start in late 2013, with most of the cost covered by a state grant and the sale of federal tax credits, said Ralph Fasano, executive director of Concern for Independent Living, the Medford-based group developing the project.

A portion of the state funds -- about $1.2 million -- comes from the $101.6 million economic development package Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo recently awarded "transformative" projects on Long Island. The remaining funds, about $4 million, would be sought from Suffolk County and the Federal Home Loan Bank of New York, officials said.

Federal approvals are needed to transfer ownership of the 1,572-acre Armed Forces Reserve Center on Albany Avenue to Babylon Town; town planning and zoning boards would have to approve the project, said town spokesman Tim Ruggeri.

The plan "has the support of the town," he said, adding that the project balances "the needs of our community with the needs of our veterans who need a place to live."

The project appears aligned with the Base Closure Community Redevelopment and Homeless Assistance Act of 1994, which encourages locals taking over military bases to give special consideration to the needs of the homeless.

"A lot of veterans who are returning don't have housing," Fasano said. "Some of these people are disabled. Some of their families don't have the incomes to afford rents on Long Island."

Estimates of the number of homeless veterans on Long Island range from more than 600 to about 2,000. Those working with the population say an increase in the past decade has been driven by recession and an affordable-housing shortage.

Frank Amalfitano, president of United Veterans Beacon House shelter, says the program houses about 115 veterans any given night in Bay Shore. "It's not just homeless vets. You've got a lot of vets who are working and are underemployed. I get people coming in every day, families in need of assistance for one thing or another. Their bills just overwhelm them."

Residents of the development would pay approximately $575 for one-bedroom apartments and $710 for two-bedroom apartments. An array of agencies providing outreach, legal and vocational services would be based in a building once used as a recruiting center, Fasano said.

Wayne Jackson, 42, an Army Gulf War veteran from Mineola, said he and his 13-year-old daughter became homeless after his veterans benefits were cut. The housing in North Amityville, he said, would be "well worth the wait." Until he's in a position to buy a home, he said, "I know these programs will help me get back on my feet."