The Tri-Community Alliance was formed when some 15 civic and community organizations in Elmont, Franklin Square and West Hempstead joined forces to work together to improve the quality of life in those communities. Now, other communities have followed suit and the Tri-Community Alliance is known as the Community Alliance, bringing in organizations from such communities as the Village of Valley Stream, North Valley Stream, East Meadow and Merrick as well as interest from groups in Wantagh, Bellmore and Uniondale.

"I think what we've found is that other communities are actually finding us," said Roy Mezzapelle, chair of the Elmont Quality of Life Committee who also serves as co-chair of the Community Alliance. "There seem to be the same problems throughout the unincorporated areas of the Town of Hempstead. People are fighting their own little battles and I think we're going to turn this into an organized effort to address these problems once and for all."

The main problem the Community Alliance is concerned with is illegal housing and the burden it can place on communities. "I think that's putting the biggest burden on the single family homeowner, taxpayer. I think it comes in the form of the school tax burden," said Mezzapelle.

This month, residents will be voting on school budgets, many of which contain significant tax increases. School districts are obligated to educate children regardless of whether their families live in a legal dwelling. Yet, there is no tax base being generated from extra families. "All they have to do is provide a valid address within the district and the district is obligated to provide them with an education," said Mezzapelle.

Community Alliance co-chair Seth Bykofsky, who is the former president of the West Hempstead Civic Association, said residents have begun to realize that they've been fighting the same battle but on different fronts. The idea is to fight the battle together.

Bykofsky said a great concern is the way illegal housing affects quality of life, schools and the services provided by the town and local hamlets.

For the Alliance, illegal housing is the chief concern. "That's the issue we've decided to tackle first based on the consensus of the leadership of the respective civic groups. So many things that impact our quality of life are controlled, in effect, by this illegal rental situation, even simple things like on-street parking."

Bykofsky said the Alliance is demanding accountability from the Town of Hempstead. "We have demanded that they live up to their responsibility. Ten years ago, we were fighting the same battles, raising the same issues and concerns and were promised that something would be done. Here it is a decade later and it's the same issues only the cost has risen astronomically and the number of apartments has risen exponentially. We're no closer to a resolution. If anything, we're further away," he said.

The Community Alliance wrote to Hempstead Town Supervisor Kate Murray on April 26 with suggestions on how to better combat illegal occupancies.