Five developmentally disabled adults will have a new home in Peekskill, and an opportunity to live a more independent life, with the opening of a group house on Elm Street.
Special Citizens Futures Unlimited, a non-profit that operates residential locations, group homes and day habilitation programs across New York City, the Bronx and Westchester, purchased the house last October.
The group home was on the agenda of the Oct. 9 Peekskill Planning Commission, ostensibly to discuss final site plan approval. But because of a state law that grants as-of-right use to site such group homes, no public hearing was required by law.
“When our firm was retained two days ago, I determined that we are here in error,” said Jody Cross, an attorney with Zarin & Steinmetz who represented Special Citizens at the Planning Commission meeting. “Under the Padavan law, community residential facilities are required to be treated as any other single-family house. Your zoning code defines family in part to include Padavan houses.”
The only changes to the house will involve interior work, including installation of central air conditioning, and does not require site plan approval. As a non-profit, Special Citizens will not pay property taxes but will pay special district taxes, primarily sewer and water.
Because numerous residents with concerns and questions attended the Oct. 9 meeting, a hearing was held to let them speak.
Giving developmentally disabled adults a Peekskill home
The five adult residents will have separate bedrooms in the house, which will be staffed by two employees of Special Citizens. The house has a two-car garage and space to park four cars in the driveway.
The Elm Street house will be a 24-hour Supervised Individual Residential Alternatives (IRA) with oversight by several agencies, including the New York state Office of People with Development Disabilities (OPWDD), which licenses such facilities.
The adults are students graduating from their residential school programs, and will engage in vocational, educational and community-based activities that foster independence, skill development and social inclusion, according to Special Citizens.
This home is intended to provide lifelong residency for five individuals who are now 21 to 23 years old. The residence will be staffed 24/7 while residents are at home, with a minimum of two staff members present on every shift. On weekdays, shifts run from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. and 11 p.m. to 9 a.m.
All residents will attend employment opportunities, vocational programs, and day habilitation programs in the community from Monday through Friday. On weekends and holidays, staff will be in the residence for an additional shift from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Staff will share meals with the residents in a family-style setting, and “be attentive to their needs throughout their shift.”
Special Citizens provides ” … home, family, care, and love to men, women, and children living with autism, intellectual disabilities, and developmental disabilities,” according to its website.
The non-profit was founded in 1976 by a group of parents who created ongoing adult programs for their children with autism, intellectual disabilities, and developmental disabilities and who had aged out of special education services. Special Citizens opened its first group home in Westchester and now has a staff of more than 200, supporting approximately 300 people.
Opposition and concerns from neighbors
Several neighborhood residents expressed their concerns at the Oct. 9 Planning Commission meeting. They were caught off guard and unaware of the plan for the group home with very short notification it was coming.
Alex DiMaio, CEO of Special Citizens, explained that he informed Mayor Vivian McKenzie in October 2024 through a letter, as required by law of the plan. A second letter was sent this past August. “We look forward to working with the City of Peekskill to ensure this home becomes a valued part of the neighborhood and provides a safe, supportive, and enriching environment for its residents,” DiMaio wrote.
Concerns were based on traffic congestion, preserving the character of the neighborhood, the effect on property values of houses in the immediate area, and oversight of the property on a daily basis.
“We were looking for homes for six months in this area, because that’s where the families wanted their children to be, and a house without a lot of activity and stimulation, something quiet,” DiMaio said.
Lawsuits involving Special Citizens
Court records list four lawsuits filed against Special Citizens or its employees in the past two years. [Peekskill Herald is not disclosing the names of individuals in the cases].
A March 2024 complaint alleges that a resident in a property supervised by Special Citizens was attacked by a fellow resident. In another case filed in August 2024, the plaintiff made allegations of sexual assault by a staff member. A judge ruled that a state agency investigation found the allegations against the staff member were unsubstantiated. The judge allowed another claim to go forward that alleged Special Citizens negligently let the resident leave the premises unsupervised.
A third case filed in November 2024 alleges that Special Citizens staff members failed to supervise a resident with a tracking device needed to ensure his safety. The lawsuit charges that on April 12, 2023, the resident was left alone on the second floor and “alit,” falling 25 feet to the pavement, causing serious injuries.
According to allegations in court documents, the attorney for the plaintiff claims that the OPWDD “… determined following an investigation into the above-described incident that defendants impermissibly neglected plaintiff ‘based on their own testimony that they were downstairs in the living room throughout the day while [the plaintiff] was upstairs in his room.'”
The plaintiff’s attorney, William Thomas, alleges that the Special Citizens staff members “… knew or should have known of his prior attempts to leave the residence to go see his uncle and aunt, and failed to employ and/or maintain the proper level of supervision.” Reached by the Herald, Thomas declined to comment. Carla Varriale-Baker, the attorney for Special Citizens, did not return a phone call requesting comment.
In court papers, attorneys for Special Citizens have denied the allegations in each case. The fourth lawsuit involved a traffic accident with a Special Citizens employee that was settled.
Asked to comment by the Herald, DiMaio said “My attorneys will be contacting you for defamation, thank you” and hung up the telephone.
A communications representative from the state Office of People with Developmental Disabilities did not respond to several requests for comment from the Herald.
According to federal tax records, Special Citizens reported total revenue of $15.78 million in 2023 and total expenses of $16.85 million. As CEO, DiMaio received a total compensation package of $302,382, the CFO $263,783 and the COO $217,764.
The importance of group homes
Planning Commission member Greg Schondelmeier related his personal knowledge of the value of group homes during the Oct. 9 meeting.
“Put yourselves in the shoes of someone of your age who has a child who has a developmental disability. It can break a family,” Schondelmeier said. “I have a cousin who is 45 with cerebral palsy living on and off with her parents for her entire life. Her mother, who was her primary caregiver, died of Covid a year and a half ago. Her father, who is 78 years old, has two knee replacements, a bad heart, and he is her daily caregiver. She’s been on a five-year wait list for a group home.”
Responding to the concerns expressed by the neighbors living near the Elm Street house, Schondelmeier said “You have a good organization who has purchased this home. You heard them say the parents are in the area, they are excited their kids are going to be able to live a semi-independent life. It is a beautiful thing.”
His comments were met by jeers from the 10 members of the audience not satisfied that they will not be harmed by the group home.
