Several of the Belle Harbor evacuees, who are a mix of the elderly and people with mild psychiatric disorders, told the AP that they have found the staff at the halfway house kindly, but the setting isolating and overly restrictive. They cannot have visitors in their rooms. Most haven’t been able to retrieve their belongings from Belle Harbor.
It was unclear when residents might return to Belle Harbor, which is undergoing a gut renovation and replacing heating, electrical and fire suppression systems ruined in the flood. New York City’s Buildings Department inspected it Friday and concluded that the work was about halfway done.
“They had been telling people they were going home in a week,” said Kristine Rakowsky, a volunteer who has been serving as an advocate for the residents, visiting them daily and trying to help them with needs such as fresh clothing and medical supplies. “Now there is no end in sight.”
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