New Delay In Affordable Housing Lottery Redo Sparks Dismay

GREENPORT, NY — Applicants in an affordable housing lottery in Greenport are facing a new hurdle: A redo for the lottery, slated to take place Thursday, was postponed.

The news came after an "accidental administrative error" left a number of applicants out of the first drawing— and those who were chosen, wondering if they'd see their chance of finding a home within their means lost forever as the initial results were rendered void.

The initial lottery for the Vineyard View affordable housing community, which will bring 50 rental units to an area where there is a dearth of workforce housing, was held on July 27. Those chosen were to be put on a waiting list for the units. The community, located at 62600 North Road in Greenport, is a joint effort between Conifer Realty LLC, and the Community Development Corporation of Long Island.

Conifer sent a notice of lottery postponement to applicants Thursday. "Over the past week, concerns have been raised that there may have been some confusion about the lottery application process for the Vineyard View Apartments. To further ensure that all those interested have the opportunity to apply for an apartment, we have made the decision to postpone the virtual lottery scheduled for today," the notice said.

Based on community feedback, Conifer said they would also be making updates to the lottery process, to "expand the lottery to even more applicants in a fair, equitable and inclusive manner."

Those updates, they said, include clearer and more specific instructions that will be provided regarding where to submit completed applications to minimize confusion.

In addition, the application submission period will be open for a minimum of two weeks to allow all interested applicants ample time to apply.

All prior lottery applicants will continue to be included and eligible for the new lottery when conducted, Conifer said.

Also, "easier and more direct access to both English and Spanish applications will be made available to the public," Conifer said. "At Conifer Realty, we take great pride in our 45-year history of providing high-quality affordable housing, and we strive every day to make our communities the best in the marketplace. We take the tenant selection process seriously and recognize the importance of maintaining the highest standards of integrity in this and all facets of our business. We look forward to making our lottery process easier and more accessible for all applicants and appreciate your understanding and patience as we move forward."

Conifer said they would be back in touch as soon as a firm date on when the lottery would be rescheduled.

The news filled many who have been waiting anxiously with anger and despair.

"This is unbelievable," said Kara DiBella, whose name was called in the first go-round. "Disgusting. This is so unfair."

On the day of the first drawing, results were shown live, and as the results were announced, those who heard their names saw dreams realized — while others wondered why their names were never called at all.

"As we communicated on July 28, due to an accidental administrative error a number of applications were unintentionally omitted from the July 27, 2020, applicant lottery for our Vineyard View multifamily housing community located in Greenport," a statement from Conifer Realty LLC said. "We deeply regret this unfortunate mistake and any inconvenience it may have caused."

In accordance with the New York State Housing and Community Renewal's Affirmative Fair Housing Marketing Plan approved for Vineyard View, and applicable federal and state regulations, Conifer said they are required to conduct a lottery that includes all eligible applicants.
Because all names entered were not included in the drawing, the initial lottery results will be voided.

Michelle Salmon, an EMT and firefighter with the Southold Fire Department, was one of those not included in the first drawing.

"I was really mad," she said. "I am a single mother with a son needing my own place. I am happy they are redoing it and fixing their mistake."

She added that her application had definitely been received. "They had my application," she said. "I sent it certified return receipt so they had to sign for it. My name wasn't even put into the container — and I know of at least 12 people who are in the same boat," she said.

The lack of affordable housing on the North Fork is a critical issue, Salmon said.

"The town needs to do something for the locals with affordable housing," she said. "This means a lot to myself and my son," she said. "If we get one of these apartments, I would actually be able to stay in the town I grew up in my whole life, and my son would be able to do the same."

In the future, Salmon said if she doesn't end up with one of the Vineyard View apartments and if Southold Town doesn't find a solution to remedy the affordable housing crisis, "I will have to move away from my family and my town."

DiBella, whose name was chosen in the first drawing, was devastated by the news of a do-over. The stakes, for her and her two small children, is high: Right now, they live in a single room with no kitchen.

"I feel robbed," she said. "I got excited. I was Number 7. I'm more then a lottery number. I'm a family. And they don't care."

DiBella, who lives in Wheatley Heights and is on disability, said she has worked hard for the past three years, completing family court and striving to remain sober since 2017.

"I honestly believed that if I kept doing the next right thing, kept sober, kept living a good life I would get a chance at something good," she said.

When her name was called in the lottery, DiBella said: "I was shaking in disbelief, crying. So excited to give my kids an opportunity to have a bedroom. A meal cooked in a kitchen. And now I'm sick to my stomach."

DiBella has two children, her son Skylar, 3, and daughter Milania, 13 months; her boyfriend, the children's father, also lives with them in the small room that has only a bathroom.

All she wants, DiBella said, is to give her children a home, bedrooms of their own. "A cooked meal and a table to sit and eat," she said. "All I wanted was an apartment. And I won — lucky number 7. But now it's taken from us. I feel so defeated."

She hold faith close and prays that her name will be called again at the second lottery.

"All we want is to give our children a better life," she said. "I'm a simple mom. I don't need much. Just a place to call home."

Southold Town Supervisor Scott Russell spoke out on the snafu: "It is extremely unfortunate. There were no good options. The unfairness to those left out of the first lottery and, now, the unfairness of those who were among the first pulled now find themselves uncertain that they will get one of the units, creates despair all the way around. For a company that specializes in building and operating these type of projects, we should expect better than this."

And, said Southold town's government liaison Denis Noncarrow: "This is a sad thing, for sure."

Amenties at Vineyard View include a clubhouse featuring a great room, a fitness center, laundry room and playground.
One bedroom units are priced from $1,056 to $1,289 per month; two-bedroom units, from $1,266 to $1,544 per month; and three bedroom units, from $1,461 to $1,784 per month.