Lindsay Calls to Eliminate the Voucher System for Homeless Sex Offenders

Suffolk County Legislature Presiding Officer William J. Lindsay (D-Holbrook) has filed legislation to end the County's voucher system for housing homeless sex offenders.

"The voucher system is unacceptable," he said in a statement issues Thursday morning. "We can not continue to turn a blind eye to allowing unmonitored sex offenders in our neighborhoods.

"Vouchers undermine the central goal of Megan's Law -- to allow residents to be aware of the presence of sex offenders in their community. It also makes it possible for sex offenders to be housed in motel settings in close proximity, within a few feet, of families with children."

The voucher system is a reinvigorated policy for sex offender emergency housing in Suffolk, in which the Department gives a homeless sex offender a daily voucher of $90 and the sex offender is responsible for finding their own housing, according to information released my Lindsay's office.

State law mandates that Suffolk County, through its Department of Social Services, provides housing for all homeless individuals, including sex offenders. For the past several years and with much controversy, the Department has housed most homeless sex offenders in trailers in Riverhead and Westhampton.  Residents of the towns of Riverhead and Southampton have complained that it is inequitable to house all homeless sex offenders in their communities. 

The County has also incurred large costs transporting sex offenders to and from these trailers, and the condition of the trailers has been the subject of a fair hearing and is a potential source of future litigation, Lindsay said.

Lindsay's Introductory Resolution 1399-2010 directs the Commissioner of Social Services to end the controversial homeless sex offender housing voucher program and gives the department 30 days to come up with a replacement plan.

Lindsay believes the plan should be developed around three main principles:

1. The majority of homeless sex offenders can not be congregated in one community.

2. There must be around the clock supervision of the homeless sex offenders.

3. Sites for housing the offenders must be as far away from residential neighborhoods as possible.

"It is just lunacy to give these people $90 a night to go wherever they want," Lindsay said. "We need to go back to the drawing board again and get it right."

This proposed legislation will be discussed at the Legislature's next General Meeting April 27. Lindsay's office said no public hearing is required, but public input is welcome during the public portion of both the committee and general meetings.  It will be discussed in committee the week of May 3 and if approved by the committee it is assigned to that week, it could pass the full legislature as early as May 11.