Town of Hempstead Housing Authority's waitlist unacceptable

The story of Tamara Bennett-Bryant should serve as a disturbing warning to anyone seeking assistance from the Town of Hempstead Housing Authority.

Bennett-Bryant, who is deaf, applied nearly a decade ago for public housing for her and her family — housing earmarked for seniors and those who are disabled.

She’s still waiting.

Bennett-Bryant’s story is just one example of broader concerns that have emerged regarding Hempstead’s housing authority. A Newsday news division investigation uncovered worrisome questions raised by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, which found the housing authority systemically denied access to those who are disabled, families with children and people of color.

Just days after the Newsday investigation, HUD withdrew its findings, sent to the authority in December 2024 in the final days of the Biden administration. The sudden withdrawal by the Trump administration didn’t provide any evidence that the initial HUD conclusions weren’t true; it only indicated that HUD had to “conserve its limited enforcement resources” by prioritizing other cases.

The withdrawal raises its own questions, about possible political pressure and the Trump administration’s commitment to enforcing fair housing laws. Also, the White House fired hundreds of HUD staffers last year, likely contributing to those “limited enforcement resources.”

Whatever the reason, the Hempstead housing authority’s very real problems — and their consequences for town residents — don’t disappear just because HUD changed its tack. The authority’s absurd waitlist — the longest of any nationwide — is unacceptable. So is the opaque process behind that waitlist, and how the agency allocates its limited units. The authority must establish truly open, transparent procedures. It shouldn’t be too much to ask for applicants to know where they are on the waitlist, and when and how it moves.

The housing authority also doesn’t get to make up its own rules. Officials there say they chose to focus on senior housing. That explanation doesn’t comply with HUD regulations protecting people with disabilities, and it fails to make clear why some people have — or haven’t — gotten a coveted spot.

For the most part, the Town of Hempstead Housing Authority falls under federal funding and oversight. But town officials are responsible for appointing board members, who in turn choose the executive director. That leaves ample opportunity for the patronage culture so pervasive in Hempstead to percolate into the authority. Every town official can do better. State and federal elected officials, meanwhile, must assess how to hold the authority accountable and require it to provide more transaction information, such as how many apartments a year become vacant and who on the list gets a placement, while addressing outstanding questions.

The disorder at the authority also underscores the larger issue filtering through all of this: the need for more housing, especially for more vulnerable populations. Town officials don’t need to wait for the authority to get its act together to prioritize the construction of such housing. They can start doing that right now.