PHOTO: Sen. Addabbo has co-sponsored a bill that would prohibit dangerous sex offenders from being placed in shelters or other temporary accommodations used to house families with children. File Photo
By Forum Staff
The State Senate recently approved a bill that would prohibit dangerous Level 2 and Level 3 sex offenders from being placed in shelters or other temporary accommodations used to house homeless families with children.
Charging that “innocent little kids who are one step away from living on the streets should never face the additional horror of living side-by-side with potential sexual predators,” State Sen. Joe Addabbo, Jr. (D-Howard Beach) last week praised the Senate’s action.
“When families tragically end up homeless, for any number of reasons, and find themselves trying to rebuild their lives while living in shelters or other temporary housing, they shouldn’t have to worry about their overall safety or be frightened for the welfare of their vulnerable children,” said Addabbo, one of four co-sponsors of the proposed legislation. “Convicted Level 2 and 3 sex offenders, who have committed the most serious sex crimes and are most likely to strike again, should not be allowed around children. They must be sheltered in housing that is more appropriate to their criminal background.”
Under the bill, these sex offenders would only be placed in housing with other adults, not with any families with children. According to the State Division of Criminal Justice Services, Level 2 offenders are classified as those with a “moderate risk of repeat offense,” and Level 3 offenders are designated as those who represent a “high risk of repeat offense and a threat to public safety.”
Addabbo said that there have been instances throughout the years locally and citywide in which sex offenders have been found living in homeless shelters in which they could represent a serious risk to children. A 2015 report by State Sen. Jeff Klein (D-Bronx) indicated that four known sex offenders were living in family shelters in Queens, with almost a dozen housed in other family shelters citywide.
“This legislation has been approved a number of times by the State Senate, and I hope it will be approved by the Assembly this year, as well,” Addabbo said. “We need to have compassion for all New York residents who find themselves without roofs over their heads, but we must also take common-sense steps to protect our most vulnerable homeless families and children from further victimization.”
The bill is now under consideration by the Assembly Committee on Social Services.
