Brookhaven, Hempstead, others to get $1.5M to combat abandoned homes 

Seven municipalities on Long Island will receive $1.5 million from the state attorney general's office to combat zombie houses — the scourge of vacant, foreclosed homes that has plagued the region the past decade.

The towns of Hempstead, Brookhaven, Islip and Smithtown, along with the villages of Freeport, Island Park and Hempstead will receive grants to fight abandoned houses through tougher code enforcement and efforts to ensure that banks and mortgage companies follow state and local laws requiring them to maintain vacant properties.

In all, 48 towns, villages and cities statewide will receive a total of $9 million, Attorney General Letitia James stated in a news release, calling the effort "Zombies 2.0." The attorney general's office in 2016 gave out $13 million in grants statewide to battle the zombie home epidemic, including $3.1 million to 16 Long Island municipalities. 

The "Zombies 2.0" funds are derived from a $500 million settlement reached last year by the state and the Royal Bank of Scotland over what state officials called the bank's deceptive practices in selling and marketing mortgage-backed securities.

“Too many communities throughout New York State are blighted by abandoned homes that decrease property values and threaten the safety of our neighborhoods,” James said in a statement. “These grants will go a long way in supporting municipalities and ensuring they have the resources they need to combat this nuisance.” 

A Newsday / News12 Long Island investigation in 2015 found the island had more than 4,000 zombie houses —  2,084 in Suffolk and 1,960 in Nassau — and municipalities had spent $3.2 million in 2014 to clean, board up and demolish them.

The state later implemented a law requiring banks and mortgagers to clean and maintain vacant properties, subjecting them to fines for failing to do so. The law also sought to expedite foreclosure cases in state courts.

James said grants range from $50,000 to $500,000, based on each municipality's size, the severity of the zombie house problem there and officials' plans for using the money.

Hempstead Town will receive $350,000, and the villages of Island Park, Freeport and Hempstead will each receive $50,000, town officials said. Brookhaven expects to receive $450,000, and Islip is getting $350,000. Smithtown will receive $200,000, state officials said.

Brookhaven Supervisor Edward P. Romaine said town officials would use the grant to enforce building codes, board up vacant houses, cut grass and provide mortgage counseling services aimed at helping homeowners avoid foreclosure. He said neighbors of zombie houses often contend with problems such as vandals, squatters, drug use and vermin — causing the value of their homes to plummet.

“In extreme measures, when a house is so bad, we take it down. We have taken down more than 275 houses," Romaine said. "Blight affects the value of all surrounding properties. ... It's something that affects people’s largest investment: their house.”

Islip Supervisor Angie Carpenter said a previous state grant helped the town to hire a full-time employee to monitor the problem.

“There’s a whole plethora of things we'll be able to do,” she said. “It enabled us to be a lot more aggressive with the issue of zombie houses.”

Hempstead Town Supervisor Laura Gillen said the funds will be used to hire additional code enforcement officers, as well as for a new computer program to better track zombie homes. She said the town has about 500 zombie homes and 1,200 homes in some stage of foreclosure.

“This is critically needed funding that will help stop the proliferation of zombie homes in our communities,” she said in a statement.

Charlene Thompson, commissioner of Hempstead Village’s Community Development Agency, said the money will go toward a building inspector / code enforcement officer and outreach on education events for homeowners in danger of foreclosure. She said these ongoing efforts have helped the village reduce zombie houses from 176 two years ago to fewer than 100. 

By Carl MacGowan

carl.macgowan@newsday.com,denise.bonilla@newsday.comCarlMacGowan,

Carl MacGowan is a Long Island native who covers Brookhaven Town after having previously covered Smithtown, Suffolk County courts and numerous spot news and feature stories over his 20-plus year career at Newsday.