Assemblyman Philip Ramos (D-Central Islip) recently introduced legislation that would create a statewide registry of residential facilities. This bill will raise community awareness and help avoid saturation of group homes in certain areas (A.10313).

“Having a list of all facilities and their locations readily available during the planning and development stages will help determine whether or not a particular community hosts more than its fair share of group homes,” Ramos said.

Under this legislation, the Offices of Children and Family Services, Alcoholism and Substance Abuses Services, Mental Health, and Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities would be required to submit to the Department of State a list of the name and address of every residential housing facility in its jurisdiction. The registry will be available to the general public in print, electronic form and on a web site maintained by the department.

“My goal is to make sure that the people living in the communities that would house these facilities are aware of what is happening in their own backyards,” Ramos said. “This legislation will make this information public and easily accessible to local residents.”

“We always need to do all we can to maintain and protect the quality of life in our communities,” Ramos continued. “Unfortunately too often specific communities have been overburdened with more than they can handle. This bill will help ensure that these neighborhoods are not saturated with more than their fair share.”