Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton and Congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy last week secured Secretary of the Navy Gordon England's commitment to save 250 units of military housing at the Mitchel Housing complex, which is located near Nassau Community College.

The commitment came during a meeting between England, Senator Clinton, Congresswoman McCarthy and several other members of the Long Island Congressional delegation where they presented their case against the sale of hundreds of housing units. Currently, 270 military families reside at the complex.

The commitment is the culmination of efforts by Senator Clinton and Congresswoman McCarthy to convince the Navy to not sell off these important units of housing, especially given the region's severe housing crisis.

"This is a big victory today for military families on Long Island. This decision will prevent several hundred families from being thrown out of their homes and being forced to face an already tight housing market," Senator Clinton said. "It is also a victory for our veterans on Long Island who will be able to continue to use the clinic, commissary and exchange which were threatened with closure. Congresswoman McCarthy and I have worked together on this with other members of the Long Island delegation and we will continue to work with the secretary's staff and others involved in this decision to make sure that it is done appropriately."

Forty-eight acres of property currently exist as the housing complex and has provided affordable and critical housing for servicemen and women in the Long Island area for over 50 years. It is part of what was once called the Santini Navy Base. About 10 years ago, when the U.S. Navy proposed to sell the property, the East Meadow Civic Association, with the leadership of former Congressman David Levy, were successful in convincing the Navy Department to retain the facility as permanent housing. At that time, it was also agreed that the run-down, dilapidated facility and grounds would be upgraded. Recently, the Navy Department again announced plans to sell the property to a private developer.

McCarthy said this latest result was a stark contrast from what Long Island faced following the initial Navy decision. "Four months ago, hundreds of families were going to be tossed into an already hostile housing market. Instead, today, their homes have been saved. I couldn't be more pleased with the outcome," she said.

The details of the Navy's plan for the housing is as follows:

_ 250 units of housing will be retained and privatized at Mitchel Complex

_Privatization will equate to a public/private partnership between a selected contractor and the Navy to maintain and manage 250 housing units of refurbished or new housing. The units will be offered to military families at the basic housing allowance figure, less utility allowances.

The Navy had planned to sell 499 units of military housing at the Mitchel Complex as part of the entire Northeast region plan. Last October, Senator Clinton, along with Congresswoman McCarthy and other members of the Long Island Congressional delegation sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld that requested reconsideration of the Navy's plan, including the commissary, exchange and clinic. Following the letter, the Navy removed the land occupied by the commissary, exchange and clinic from consideration for closure.

Senator Clinton and Congresswoman McCarthy also met recently with a representative group of the affected families at the Mitchel Complex. At this meeting, the families expressed their concerns regarding the costs of relocating, finding suitable housing.