One year later, Elmont residents of 1888 Foster Meadow Lane remain homeless

More than 30 people lived at 1888 Foster Meadow Lane, a cooperative for senior citizens in Elmont, when a flash flood forced them to evacuate on Sept. 29, 2023. Now, one year later, the residents remain displaced as the building’s condition continues to deteriorate.

The Town of Hempstead Building Department condemned the building after the Sept. 29 storm, effectively leaving the residents homeless.

Carolina Malagon, who lived with her parents in the co-op when the storm hit, visits the property every Saturday to evaluate the situation and grab what she can from their apartment. Inside the building, parts of the ceiling have collapsed where pipes burst, and debris is scattered on the floor. Malagon dons a mask to enter the building, because the smell of mold is overpowering.

Malagon and her parents have been living with her aunt in Valley Stream for the past year. Her mother was recently diagnosed with Stage 4 pancreatic cancer, but is still hoping to return to the building one day.

“It’s just problem after problem after problem for all of us,” Malagon said of the residents. “It’s very difficult to believe anything, because exactly nothing has been done here. The building can be fixed many times, but they need to fix the sewers.”

Last Oct. 4, Nassau County filed suit against Woods and Ruff Management, the property manager brought on in 2020, and Bedford Construction Group, which built the complex.

When emergency shelter services ended on Oct. 1, the county said it provided room and board for displaced residents at the Long Island Marriott, in Uniondale, at a cost of more than $200,000 for three days. The suit claimed that the defendants are liable to repay the county for those services, which Nassau insists it was “not legally obligated” to provide.

“The county initiated litigation against the managing agent in order to protect the residents of the co-op,” Chris Boyle, a spokesman for County Executive Bruce Blakeman, said in a statement to the Herald. “That litigation is pending, and no further comment will be made at this time.”

Local civic association leaders, residents of the co-op, Assemblywoman Michaelle Solages and County Legislator Carrie Solages held a news conference last Sunday calling on the county to drop the lawsuit.

“I think what’s most vexing is this lawsuit, that is actually demanding of the seniors to actually pay back the county for services that it probably should have provided them for free,” Parkhurst Civic Association President Aubrey Phillips said. “It wasn’t their fault that it flooded.”

Utricia Charles, president of the Argo Civic Association, urged local officials to work together to resolve the existing issues to help the residents get back into their homes.

“Where is the compassion? Where is the decency?” Charles asked. “They deserve better than this.”

Residents and family members have also been frustrated with the building’s management because of a lack of communication. Carlos Martin, whose parents lived in the building, and Malagon both said they have received no information from management about any updates at the property.

Repeated flooding at the property during rainstorms has displaced residents as far back as 2011, but they have never been homeless for this long as a result. Past flooding has forced the co-op to take on roughly $150,000 in debt, according to Gerald Karikari, the chief executive of Woods and Ruff Management.

Michaelle and Carrie Solages said that the county’s lawsuit is preventing the state from stepping in to help fix the property and deal with infrastructure issues.

“The state was willing to come in to provide some sort of services and support, but they can’t because this lawsuit is providing a chilling effect,” Michaelle Solages said.