Solutions for unhoused population a focus for village

Patchogue Village held a Board of Trustees meeting on Monday, Nov. 9.

Trustee Steve Fuoco spoke about public safety and informed the board of an ongoing issue with unhoused individuals in downtown Patchogue disturbing public spaces to the detriment of restaurants, offices, and other stakeholders.

The Restaurant Committee met on Wednesday, Nov. 4, and was attended by 15 local restaurateurs, Fuoco, mayor Paul Pontieri, trustee Thomas Ferb, incoming Public Safety director Rob Waldbauer, and representatives from Suffolk County Police Department’s Fifth Precinct.

While the homeless rate has trended down for New York State as a whole, Nassau and Suffolk counties saw a 13.4 percent rise. In addition, 32 percent of unhoused individuals on Long Island are under the age of 18 (New York State has double the percentage of underage unhoused individuals as the national average).

After doubling between January 2022 and January 2024, homelessness in New York declined by 7.9 percent in January 2025 to 145,560. The decline of 12,459 was the largest among states, and was driven predominantly by New York City; however, declines were not universal across the state.

In 2025, there was a “surge” in unhoused individuals in Nassau and Suffolk, according to Homeless Long Island, with approximately 4,500 unhoused individuals in both counties.

Homeless Long Island predicts with current rates of eviction and high housing prices that the number could go over 10,000.

The Town of Brookhaven has the highest number of unhoused individuals in Suffolk County with approximately 700 people in need of shelter.

The data collected showed a disproportionate number of the unhoused were disadvantaged minorities or individuals battling mental illness, specifically addiction.

“What seems to be the problem [is]… unhoused people are on Main Street causing disruptions, making people upset, making noise, hanging out. loitering and the purpose of the meeting was to see if Public Safety, the Fifth Precinct, or the village can somehow help to remedy this situation. It seems to me what might be helpful is to have a meeting of major stakeholders, retail, offices, village, and non-profits,” said Fuoco.

Some of the recommended nonprofits mentioned by Fuoco included Family Service League, Hands Across Long Island, and Long Island Commission for the Homeless.

“This is a big problem, this is a day problem; the restauranteurs didn’t complain about the nighttime,” said Fuoco.

As an insurance broker who specializes in not-for-profit insurance, Fuoco spoke highly of Family Service League’s interventions and results, charactering them as “very interested” in aiding and being a source of relief for the unhoused of Patchogue.

With a crisis center, FSL has set up a triage system to provide acute assistance for unhoused people instead of them inundating hospitals, where they are typically released after  24 hours.

“They have a crisis center, [they want to] avoid sending everyone to the hospital where everyone gets released in 24 hours. FSL has method to avoid that,” said Fuoco. “It’s important because I can say that our restaurateurs invest tons of money and so do our retailers and office people, and I hope we can help them and stop this.”

Fuoco noted that in 1996, the village was encountering the same issues with unhoused individuals today.

“Homelessness is often the result of a disability, mental illness or substance abuse, and it can be a daunting task to overcome the effects of these crippling conditions while attempting to become self-sufficient,” said FSL in a statement.

New president and CEO of FSL, Kerri Smith, advocated for underserved populations and specializes in “scaling high-quality human services through data-driven management and organizational optimization.”

One of their programs is HomeShare Long Island, where homeowners who have an available bedroom are matched with adults who need affordable housing. 

Homeowners typically need financial assistance to remain in their homes or are in need of companion services, which would include light duties such as meal preparation, laundry, and grocery shopping. 

The rent is determined based on whether companion services are needed or not. 

“Both models provide the comfort of knowing another person is in the home, which has been important to family members,” said FSL.

Both the homeowner and the home sharer are required to pay $112 for a background search if they move forward with the program.

The State continues to implement its multi-year housing plan and recently enacted statutory changes that will direct more school aid to districts with students experiencing homelessness. Comptroller DiNapoli has previously called for additional efforts to mitigate evictions and provide housing assistance, particularly to families with children.