Zombie home demolished in Central Islip

Staffers from the Town of Islip demolished a dilapidated and abandoned house on Prospect Street in Central Islip Monday.

The single-story white home was severely damaged in a May 2013 fire that also caused the home’s in-ground swimming pool to collapse, according to the town. In September 2015, the Town of Islip passed a resolution to demolish the house.

Abandoned, deteriorating “zombie homes” in the process of foreclosure can pose safety hazards to neighbors and depress home values in communities. Last week, state Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman announced $12.6 million in grants to Long Island and dozens of other local governments to help tackle these homes as part of the Zombie Remediation and Prevention Initiative.

Islip received a $339,100 grant, said town Supervisor Angie Carpenter at a news conference Monday outside the Central Islip house. “It’s important to keep in mind that we’re not unique here in the Town of Islip, having to deal with this. This goes on across Long Island and across the state of New York.”

The grants come from a $3.2 billion national settlement negotiated by Schneiderman with Morgan Stanley over its troubled mortgage-backed securities.

“So the proceeds of that lawsuit are going back into communities to hopefully help make a difference,” Carpenter said.