APRIL 2021 • LONGISLANDPRESS.COM 27
HABITAT FOR HUMANITY SUFFOLK COUNTY BUILDING
OPPORTUNITY
BY BRIANA BONFIGLIO
Homeownership is a life goal that many
aspire to, especially in suburban areas.
However, Long Island’s affordable
housing crisis is pulling that dream
out of reach for a growing number of
people.
Habitat for Humanity of Suffolk County
helps individuals, couples, and families
achieve homeownership one house at
a time. The charity organization is an
independent affiliate of Habitat for
Humanity International.
“Our vision is a world where everyone
has a decent place to live,” Lee Silberman,
CEO and executive director of
Habitat for Humanity of Suffolk County,
said in a February webinar episode
of Long Island Business News (LIBN)
Now.
Habitat Suffolk, which is based in Middle
Island, formed in 1988, 12 years after
the international group was founded.
The local organization built its first
house for a single mother in Riverhead
and has built hundreds of houses
since — with a goal of around 10 to 12
per year.
A common misconception is that
Habitat Suffolk donates houses at no
cost whatsoever to families. In reality,
Habitat uses cost-effective methods
to build inexpensive homes, making
them affordable and giving low-income
people the opportunity to buy a house
of their own.
“Our families are homeowners, and the
houses go on the tax rolls at full value,”
Silberman said during the LIBN webinar.
“Currently, our typical house that
we build and sell in Suffolk County appraises
between $300,000 and $350,000
and will have a tax bill between $6,000
and $9,000.”
A growing housing problem on Long
Island has made Habitat Suffolk one of
the more active Habitat for Humanity
chapters in the country. Increasing
home prices have been pushing people
out of the area for years, and the
Covid-19 pandemic has only made it
worse. In 2020, Habitat received more
homeownership program applications
than in the past five to six years. Because
of the influx, the program is not
currently accepting new applications.
“I'm in contact with Habitat affiliate
leaders around the country, and many
of them just don't believe our numbers
here,” Silberman said.
Volunteers help with each house built
and don’t need prior experience to lend
a hand. Over the past winter break in
February, a group of Huntington High
School students pitched in.
Habitat Suffolk also runs a thrift shoptype
operation in Ronkonkoma called
ReStore. People can donate their used
furniture and household items in good
condition to be sold at affordable prices.
All proceeds go to Habitat Suffolk’s
efforts in the community.
PRESS BUSINESS
Huntington High School students help Habitat for Humanity of Suffolk County.
(Courtesy Habitat of Humanity of Suffolk via Facebook)
Bus ine s s , long i s l and s t y le
Fund our sewers: pass the
bond act
Sometimes, doing the right
thing is the hardest thing—
eating your veggies, going for
a jog or being a lifelong Mets
fan. However, doing the difficult
thing ultimately pays off
(TBD on the Mets). Expanding
and modernizing Long
Island’s sewer system is one
of those things. It will be expensive,
but it is absolutely
essential. And we can pay for
it through reinstating an Environmental
Bond Act back
into the NY State budget.
I n a ddition t o t he e nvironmental
benefits, sewer
enhancements also provide
economic growth in two
distinct ways: (1) directly,
through job creation and (2)
indirectly, by increasing system
capacity which enables
development/redevelopment
to continue. Take Suffolk
County for example. Due to a
lack of adequate sewer infrastructure,
major redevelopment
projects such as Heartland
have stalled and halted
local economic growth. But
with a major investment to
upgrade water infrastructure,
we could bring thousands
of well-paying jobs and
pump money into the local
economy. It would also allow
the region to proceed with
important redevelopment
projects in Suffolk, improving
the quality of life and
increasing property values
for residents. Without these
modern upgrades, redevelopment
and economic growth
will remain stagnate.
In the long term, the
deep upfront costs will pay
for themselves through increased
economic development,
additional storm
protection and cleaner waterways.
But the initial burden
could be much lighter if New
York were to support an Environmental
Bond Act. The
current proposal includes
$3 billion for shovel-ready
‘green’ clean water projects.
Another $500 million would
go directly to clean water infrastructure
to protect our
waterways and ensure they
remain safe and clean by enabling
communities to make
critical upgrades to sewer
lines and maintain water
treatment facilities. This Act
would provide the local investment
we need to jumpstart
the economy while
building a brighter future
for Long Island.
B y i nvesting i n a nd e nhancing
our sewer and septic
systems, we will have
the ability to reverse negative
environmental impacts
on local waters and better
manage wastewater discharge.
Connecting existing
sewers to newly upgraded
systems, will allow chemicals
and wastewater to be
more easily treated and centrally
managed. New and
upgraded sewers will also
help advance environmental
justice by protecting more
of our vulnerable coastline
communities at a time when
extreme weather continues
to threaten our homes and
beaches. Our coastline is a
critical part of Long Island’s
economy, and now is the time
to ensure it will weather any
future storms.
Again, it will not be easy,
but it is necessary. Every
Long Islander (Mets fan or
not) will reap the benefits of
our decision to ‘do the right
thing’. We should all support
an Environmental Bond Act
and immediately prioritize
critical water infrastructure
projects. Not only will it help
fuel our economy in these
difficult times, but it will ensure
Long Island’s environment
remains pristine and
strong, built to last for the
years ahead, as we wait for
the next World Series trophy
to return to Citi Stadium…
/LONGISLANDPRESS.COM
