Newsday (New York)Trying to show a kinder, gentler side, Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy said yesterday the county will move forward with a 10-year plan to end homelessness in Suffolk, taking special aim at helping returning veterans.
Levy, previewing tonight's state of the county message, also will announce steps to start dealing with a looming budget shortfall and possibly using brownfields to create solar farms to reduce county electricity costs.
The county executive said his plan to combat homelessness will dovetail with another initiative he dubbed Operation Stand Down, which will send county veterans agency workers into the field twice a year to find homeless veterans, make sure they have adequate housing, and direct them to 30 kinds of special services to help them adjust to civilian life.
"We want to make a big push to make sure no one is left to fend for themselves in this day and age in Suffolk County," said Levy, adding that some veterans return from Afghanistan and Iraq with mental problems or simply fail to seek out help or shelter.
"We don't want people sleeping out in the woods," Levy said. "There's a bed for everyone. No one should be exposed to the elements."
Levy said the county has enlisted the Nassau-Suffolk Coalition for the Homeless to develop the 10-year plan. Joan Noguera, the coalition's executive director, called Levy's step "very exciting," and said it will help the county be more competitive in gaining federal funding.
Her group is already working with Nassau County on a similar plan which was announced last March and should be ready this spring. She said long-term planning is needed because it takes time to put housing and support services in place.
"I know it can be a reality. It's happening in other places," she said.
Suffolk, in recent years, has removed the homeless from costly and ill-suited emergency motels, but Levy worried the subprime mortgage crisis and foreclosures could cause a spike in homelessness. The county currently provides temporary shelter to 275 homeless families and 166 homeless individuals, but social services officials keep no records on how many are veterans.
The initiatives, one of several Levy human services proposals, appear to be aimed at moderating the image of Levy, a Democrat who is a fiscal conservative and won a national reputation for his hard-line stand on illegal immigration.
Levy's fifth state of the county message, to be delivered at Touro Law School in Central Islip, comes at the height of his political power. He was re-elected unopposed with an increased 11-6 legislative majority and is a potential suburban contender for statewide office or U.S. Senate.
Legis. Edward Romaine (R-Center Moriches) said the growing number of homeless veterans is "a national disgrace" and the county "should go above and beyond" to solve the problem. He also worried that Levy has created ongoing problems in social services by leaving fully funded positions vacant, slowing delivery of services.
But with a weakening regional economy, Levy also said Suffolk is facing a budget shortfall, similar to the $238-million hole when he first took office. He said his address will call for a bipartisan commission with county lawmakers to come up with cost-cutting moves by April. He plans to name the panel within several days.
Levy also said it is time for both state and federal governments to resume a major role in funding road and sewer projects, after decades of neglect. "In the 1970s, state and federal government provided 87 percent of funding for new sewers - now they give none," Levy said.
The county executive also proposed several environmental projects including using selected county tracts, including brownfield properties, to create fields of solar panels. Levy acknowledged the county has never taken title to brownfield properties, taken for unpaid taxes to avoid the liability of clean-up. He said the county would have to get a federal and state exemption from liability, but that Brockton, Mass., has undertaken a similar program.
