Port Washington seniors plead for help to save homes, life savings

News 12's Thema Ponton spoke with seniors in Port Washington who say they're worried they could be out of a home and their life savings because their living facility is in bankruptcy proceedings.

Thema Ponton

Oct 17, 2024, 2:43 AM

Updated 47 days ago

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News 12 spoke with seniors who live at The Amsterdam at Harborside in Port Washington, a living facility that is in the middle of bankruptcy proceedings.
Constance Miceli, 95, Joyce Shapiro, 93 and Robert Curtis, 87, say they're tired of what they say is a lot of finger-pointing and they just want to know who will help them save their homes and their life savings.
"We are begging, the DOH and the governor and the commissioner of the department of health to save us, they're the only ones who can save us." said Miceli.
"There is something wrong that nobody thinks about the people that live here and what has happened to them." said Shapiro.
"If you come to the end of the road, then what?" said Curtis.
He went on to say, "I have to find a place for my wife and I have to find a place for me." "We're not stopping to fight, if we don't win, we're going to protest galore, we're going to become squatters." said Miceli.
A second company called LCS has been trying to buy The Harborside. But the state Health Department rejected the company's application, telling News 12 in a statement: “In keeping with its regulatory responsibility, the Department protected vulnerable residents by denying an applicant who was unwilling to comply with instructions on how to bring the application in compliance with State law. As regulator, we'll continue working with the existing operator to ensure that the needs and concerns of residents and their families are addressed.
LCS telling News 12 in a statement: "Since 2022, LCS has been working to purchase the Harborside out of bankruptcy and restore it to a thriving senior living option for current and future residents. Ten months ago, after a complex and contentious process, we received approval from the bankruptcy court to buy the Harborside as part of a transaction designed to stabilize the Harborside’s tumultuous financial history. Since then, we have diligently pursued finalizing the purchase of this community with state regulators and invested significant resources, including providing operating funds to the Harborside, in good faith to keep this community open for residents and employees.
Despite a robust plan that included significant renovations, expanded employment opportunities, and a commitment to honor resident refund obligations, state regulators failed to provide the necessary approvals in a timely manner, even with LCS granting multiple extensions of the outside date in the purchase agreement. As of the start of October, we were still no closer to an approval or commitment to a path forward with the New York State Department of Health than we were when we submitted our applications in January. As a result, we can no longer continue our pursuit of the Harborside.
The Department of Health has had multiple chances to engage with us and navigate the approval process on time to keep this community open for residents and employees. Now that the purchase agreement has expired, the Department is looking to shift blame through a false narrative about incomplete applications and refusals to provide information– nothing could be further from the truth. Instead, the DOH has failed the residents of the Harborside who now face an uncertain future. We are deeply disappointed by this result as we looked forward to improving this community for the residents, employees, and the greater Nassau County community."