#LI residents rally against plan to turn old hotel into homeless family shelter

More than 100 residents of a Long Island town rallied Tuesday to protest a plan to turn an old hotel into a temporary shelter for homeless families.

Nassau County previously announced plans to move 80 homeless families into the former Hampton Inn Hotel in the hamlet of Jericho — though a judge put a restraining order on the move earlier this month after the broader town of Oyster Bay sued to stop it based on local zoning codes, according to Newsday.

Locals who gathered outside Oyster Bay Town Hall on Tuesday said the community has been left in the dark about the project.

“It seems as if this plan was put into effect without the slightest bit of thought,” railed Marc Albert, a committee member for the group Concerned Jericho Parents who also submitted a petition against the shelter to the town.

“Not a single study done. How is it going to affect our community? How is it going to impact our schools? How is it going to impact safety? None of that was done!”

Another local griped, “These people get to move into Jericho for free? ‘Cause they’re poor? I’m poor, too! I pay all my money to live here. I haven’t worked in five months!”

Asked about where the shelter residents should be placed instead, protester Frank Lee, 55, said: “Any place reasonable other than here. Some place they can shelter hundreds of families. And teach them to be self-sufficient. Not just give them money. This is the way to make America strong.”

An estimated 19 children are slated to be housed in the planned facility, which will be operated by the nonprofit Community Housing Innovations, and are expected to attend Jericho schools, Nassau County Executive Laura Curran has said.

County officials say the number of homeless people in Nassau County has increased by about 20 percent since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

Not everyone opposes the shelter plan — a handful of other residents came to the town hall Tuesday to embrace the newcomers.

“We are just decent human beings advocating for everyone’s right to shelter,” said Sivan Romatsu, who was at the rally with six others in support of the shelter.