Blinde by the blight
I'ts see no evil for Hamptons elite on homeless camps
Hamptons residents said Monday they were shocked to learn from The Post that illegal immigrants were living in the woods amid the area’s mansions — as online commenters blamed nouveau-riche property owners and liberal voters.
“I haven’t seen homelessness in the Hamptons at all. The first I heard of it was when I read it in The Post,” a woman in Southampton said. “I see those guys at the 7-Eleven in the morning waiting for work. I would imagine it’s impossible for them to find housing because it’s very expensive but you don’t see homelessness around town.”
Bill Gallo, 74, of Remsenburg, said, “I had no idea. I can’t imagine people here even know.
“I bought a home in the Hamptons in 2015. I spend half my time in Florida and half my time here,” the retired grain trader said. “You walk the streets of Southampton and you don’t see any homeless.”
The Post’s exclusive revelation of day laborers living in hidden encampments across the tony area sparked condemnation on Twitter.
“One of the differences between the ‘old’ Hamptons, i.e., the Hamptons that existed prior to the 1980s, and the ‘new’ Hamptons is that people in the old Hamptons would have been rightly horrified and embarrassed that the people who worked for them lived in homeless squalor,” user @EdwardMSuarez wrote.
“Keep voting Lib New York, you guys deserve each other,” added @Ronin7964.
Southampton Town Supervisor Jay Schneiderman blamed the situation in part on residents’ attitude toward affordable housing, saying, “I’ve been sued over and over” for supporting proposals.
“People often don’t want affordable housing near where they live, even though they recognize the need,” he said.
Southampton is reviewing plans by nonprofit developer Concern for Independent Living of Medford, LI, for 60 units behind the Southampton Full Gospel Church along Route 27, where The Post found laborers living in the woods. But he said the campers wouldn’t qualify because “there are certain income thresholds that have to be met.”
Westhampton Beach Mayor Maria Moore, whose village has an encampment in the woods behind an abandoned gas station, didn’t return emails seeking comment.
A spokesperson for Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone said in an email, “Without question, there are serious concerns regarding affordable housing on the east end of Long Island.
“Our Department of Social Services coordinates with local officials and non-profits to provide any available resources to those in need,” the rep added.
Illegal immigrants aren’t eligible for housing assistance from the DSS, county officials said.