11 July 2008
Suozzi Announces 10-Year Plan to End Homelessness in Nassau County
Plan Lays Out Goals and Action Steps to Prevent, Reduce and End Homelessness
Mineola, N.Y. – Nassau County Executive Thomas R. Suozzi today announced a comprehensive plan to end homelessness in Nassau County within the next 10 years. The first phase of the 10-Year Plan, released today, presents a graphic picture of the extent of homelessness and the numbers of Nassau residents who regularly live on the verge of homelessness.
“The realistic strategies presented in the 10-Year Plan can help to end homelessness in Nassau County by making safe, affordable and appropriate housing available to those who need it most,” Suozzi said. “The Plan,” he noted, “provides for a central data base and source of information that will help us to improve our programs, expand our resources and target our service delivery more effectively to reach individuals and families who are homeless and those on the brink of homelessness.”
Connie Lassandro, Director of the Nassau County Office of Housing and Homeless Services, added that “The Plan will help to stimulate the development and provision of affordable rental housing and appropriate supportive housing throughout the County and will also strengthen Nassau’s applications for federal and state funding.”
In 2007, proclaiming the County’s ongoing commitment to the task of preventing, reducing and ending homelessness, Suozzi had appointed a 30-member committee consisting of public, not-for-profit and faith-based service providers and formerly homeless persons to develop the Nassau 10-Year Plan to End Homelessness.
Marge Rogatz, Chair of the 10-Year Plan Committee, said, “The Plan identifies needs, gaps and barriers and recommends ambitious but achievable strategies to meet those needs and overcome those barriers. The lack of affordable housing is identified as the most urgent and significant gap and barrier to securing permanent housing in Nassau County. If you are in a household that has an income of less than $35,000 per year, for example, you are likely to be paying between 30 and 50 per cent of your income on housing and you may be living on the brink of homelessness.”
The Plan identifies rental assistance, such as that offered by the Housing Choice Voucher Program – which has a lower per diem cost to the County than emergency shelters and other alternatives – as a priority strategy to enable low-income individuals and families to continue to reside in Nassau County.
Other priority strategies identified in the Plan involve action steps to prevent returning veterans from becoming homeless upon discharge and assuring that they receive the services they need.
An Implementation Chart in the Plan lays out nine goals with specific short- and long-term objectives and action steps, including benchmarks to be regularly assessed, up-dated and revised over the 10-year period.
Suozzi emphasized that “The County and the 10-Year Plan are particularly concerned about the chronically homeless who all too often remain hidden, living in dangerous and unhealthy conditions. We are committed to ensuring they get the help and the services they need in the most respectful, effective and cost-efficient manner possible.”
