Frank Tammaro, a 95-year-old veteran of the Korean War, is among many senior citizens who lived at the Island Shores assisted living facility in Staten Island, New York, until months ago, when he and others were told they had to leave.
Now, the facility is operating as a shelter for border crossers and illegal aliens after the nonprofit Homes for the Homeless entered into a “shady deal” with Mayor Eric Adams (D) under his administration’s expansive shelter initiatives that have put migrants up, for free, in luxury hotels, among other places, according to Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY).
Malliotakis said that less than a year ago, she was notified that Homes for the Homeless was looking to close Island Shores. She and other elected officials sought to stop the facility’s closure by finding a new owner but were ignored.
When we say “America First” it starts with putting our citizens—especially our veterans—over citizens of OTHER countries.
Posted by Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis on Monday, September 25, 2023
“Island Shores refused to speak with us and, as a matter of fact, we had a couple of parties that may have been interested … they told us to reach out to Homes for the Homeless and we were stonewalled,” Malliotakis said:
Next thing we know, March, senior citizens like this veteran who is a Korean War veteran, 95 years old, were kicked out of that facility … a place they enjoyed living … we know that our senior citizens need to live an active lifestyle. [Emphasis added]
Fast forward just a few months after they were kicked out, Homes for the Homeless enters a shady deal with the city of New York to turn the facility into a migrant shelter. I’ll tell you my blood pressure went through the roof when I found out this happened. [Emphasis added]
Tammaro said, “it was very disgraceful what they did to the people in Island Shores” because seniors were given short notice of when they had to leave and find a new home. If not for his family, Tammaro said he would have been out on the street.
“I thought my suitcases were going to be on the curb because I’m not that fast,” Tammaro said. “If it weren’t for my daughter, they would have been on the curb. That’s what happened and that was it. I said, ‘No, no, no, no you’re not moving me’ and they said ‘Yes, yes, yes we are.’ Everything was done behind closed doors, we didn’t have a chance to make any attempt to stop them.”
Malliotakis said she wants answers, including when Homes for the Homeless began negotiations with Adams to turn the facility into a migrant shelter, how much the nonprofit is being paid to house migrants, and where every senior citizen now resides after being forced out of Island Shores.
Staten Island NY .
— Viral News NYC (@ViralNewsNYC) September 21, 2023
Protesters against housing migrants in residential areas.
I spoke with frustrated residents who speak out against migrants being housed at midland Beach Nursing home.
🎥 by @LeeroyPress
For licensing emailThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. pic.twitter.com/27tszUstDL
Saint John's villa Staten Island NY .
— Viral News NYC (@ViralNewsNYC) September 26, 2023
Recently, a judge ruled that the migrant facilities at the Villa will have to close due to the right to shelter law being meant for American citizens. The city of NY appealed to that decision, and the migrants could now stay until the next… pic.twitter.com/6CaLau5Mdc
“Our taxpayers … were being utilized to house citizens of other countries while the same time, kicking out veterans, people who put their life on the line, and other senior citizens, paid taxes their whole lives, who built their communities,” Malliotakis said.
“If they were going to enter any deal, it should have been to preserve this assisted living facility,” she continued. “Don’t use our tax dollars to house citizens of other countries who illegally entered the border … to throw out these senior citizens and veterans and then turn around for this lucrative deal.”
Malliotakis also demanded Homes for the Homeless be investigated.
As Breitbart News has chronicled, Adams has used illegal immigration to New York City to funnel millions in local taxpayer dollars to the powerful real estate and hotel industry, as well as non-governmental organizations.
Months ago, for instance, records showed that New Yorkers were being charged daily hotel rates that were well above the market rate. The Holiday Inn in Manhattan’s Financial District had been raking in $190 a night per room given to newly arrived migrants — a 73 percent increase in its rate.
The hotel is expected to receive $10.5 million under its contract with the city. The Row Hotel in Times Square, housing hundreds of migrants, is expected to take in close to $100 million from taxpayers via its city contract.
John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at