See Something, Say Something
This week I stood alongside the Town of Clarkstown as Town Supervisor George Hoehmann publicized legal action being taken against a landlord as a result of 31 people living inside a single-family New City rental property.
The Town of Clarkstown described the home as dangerously overcrowded and unsafe, riddled with some of the worst building and fire code safety violations Clarkstown’s Building Department has ever encountered.
My administration is now working closely with the Town and looking into another property owned by this landlord to ensure those living in it are not being subjected to unsafe conditions or dangerous levels of overcrowding.
This case underscores what my administration has repeatedly said about encouraging residents who see something to say something and report all suspicious activity to authorities. Complaints and tips about large groups of people coming in and out of this single-family home is what ultimately led code enforcement officials there to discover 31 people living inside “squalor” and shutting down what could have become a tragedy, had the home caught fire.
Just this past March we tragically lost five people, including two children, in a fire. The two-family home that burned had 18 people living in it. How many people could we lose if this home caught on fire with 31 people living in it?
Rockland County has a severe housing crisis includes a shortage of safe and affordable units which is resulting in dangerous levels of overcrowding, and exactly why my administration stood firm against the City of New York’s Decompression Strategy to relocate about 350 adult migrants into Rockland. We knew these individuals would likely end up in unsafe, overcrowded conditions here, putting their lives at risk in the event of an emergency.
The Office of Buildings and Codes requests all interested parties submit complaints within the Village of Spring Valley by calling 845-364-3700 or emailing [email protected].
Rockland Codes Investigations requests all Sanitary Code Violations be reported to 845-364-2585 or by filing a report online.
The Rockland County Department of Health’s Healthy Neighborhoods Program (HNP) provides free safety outreach, including providing smoke detectors, and education to eligible residents including low-income residents, seniors, and at-risk families.
To schedule a free Healthy Neighborhoods Program home visit, a presentation for your organization, or for more information, please call 845-364-3292 or 845-364-3290.
