for its commitment to increasing quality affordable housing on Long Island

When asked about the success of Omni New York LLC, its co-founders Eugene Schneur and Maurice "Mo" Vaughn, retired major league baseball star, admit that they are still surprised about the company's ability to "do well by doing good."   

Since 2004, Omni New York has acquired and rehabilitated or is in the process of rehabilitating 4,516 units of affordable housing in New York State.  Omni focuses not only on the real estate aspect of revitalization, but also on the social aspect by partnering with community and neighborhood groups to provide social services to the community, such as after school programs for children  and skill-building seminars and classes for adults. 

One of Omni's success stories is its revitalization of the Bedell Terrace 80-unit rental complex in the Village of Hempstead. Two years ago, when Omni purchased the seriously deteriorated apartment building, it faced the monumental challenge of providing its residents with a safe escape from the drugs and crime that enveloped the neighborhood.  Dozens of prospective buyers had looked at the property during the last 30-plus years, but none possessed the necessary vision, experience, determination or financial backing to undertake such a challenge.  Omni's rehabilitation of Bedell Terrace has been essential to the successful rehabilitation of the whole neighborhood, and a crucial element in the Village of Hempstead's master plan.

Omni believes that quality, well-managed affordable housing should be available in a variety of neighborhoods.  For example, in 2006 it developed the Mill River Family Residences with 175 affordable housing units in Rockville Centre, a community that has one of the best school districts on Long Island.  As reflected in our documentary "A TALE OF TWO SCHOOLS: Race and Education on Long Island", this school district has made tremendous progress in closing the achievement gap between black and Latino students and white students.  Consequently, Omni is not just providing sound housing that families with lower incomes can afford.  By building housing in racially diverse areas it is also providing greater educational opportunities for students from low-income families.