Suffolk County Councillors are pushing for the laws needed by new affordable housing developers to secure apartments for volunteer firefighters and EMS.
Democrat Rebecca Sanin proposed a bill earlier this month to apply to builders who receive subsidies from the county's Labor and Housing Fund, working to stop registered volunteers from being priced from Suffolk.
“This bill is a true commitment to brave men and women who put their own safety at risk every time to protect our community,” Sanin told the Post.
“Our volunteer community really needs this.”
The Democratic Caucus Support Bill would require volunteers to secure 10% of all units, or at least 10% of five apartments.
Republican Chairman Officer Kevin McCaffrey; He spoke to Newsday He said he was adopting an “seemly a wait” approach, saying the bill is different from other laws requiring workforce housing as it aims to support volunteers who can always leave the gig.
“We were working on doing something and we had to make sure we could get it done in the right way,” he told the outlet.
Sanin's proposal takes the page of the law passed last year under then county executive Steve Bellone.
The Volunteer Housing Bill is supported by the Suffolk Firefighter, Rescue and Emergency Services Commission, the Suffolk County Firefighter Council, and the statewide firefighter association of New York.
