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State Approves Controversial New Rochelle Group Home

NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. – Despite some vehement, vocal opposition from select neighbors and elected officials, a proposed group home that will benefit four men with Autism, has been approved by the state.

The New Rochelle group home is going to be established on Belmont Avenue.

The New Rochelle group home is going to be established on Belmont Avenue.

Photo Credit: Google Maps

Earlier this year, Cardinal McCloskey Community Services proposed establishing a group home that would aid the Autistic community, much to the ire of certain neighbors in the area that argued their children play in the area, and the group home would pose a safety risk for the neighborhood, irrevocably harming it.

The public outcry was so great that city administrators filed a formal objection with the state Office of Mental Health, which amounted to nothing. On Wednesday, the state Office for People with Development approved the proposal, and the organization can move forward with the group home.

The house is located on Belmont Avenue, near the city’s border with Larchmont.

In a statement, Mayor Noam Bramson, who vociferously supported the establishment of the group home, said that he believes that the neighbors will work together to make the new occupants feel welcome.

“I have every confidence that the surrounding neighborhood, even those residents who most strongly objected to this proposal, will welcome their neighbors with civility and warm,” he said. “I will do whatever I can to encourage a positive spirit of new beginnings.”

The issue of the group home came to a fever pitch over the summer, prompting Bramson to pen a lengthy essay about the importance of these types of group homes for those suffering from autism and similar disabilities.

“Group homes are intended to provide a supportive, neighborhood-based living arrangement to adults with disabilities and other challenges,” he said.

The approval of the group home comes on the heels of the City Council approving a municipal Advisory Committee on Issues Affecting People with Disabilities Tuesday night. The committee will be tasked with assuming the functions of the disbanded Site Selection Committee, which determined ”whether and how to exercise the city’s right to suggest alternative locations for the proposed group home.

According to Bramson, the new committee will also “have a much broader mandate that encompasses public education, encouraging healthy relationships between group homes and neighborhoods, ensuring that people with disabilities are full participants in the civic life of our community.” 

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