William Street Residents Find New Homes After Port Chester Shuts Building

Dozens of Port Chester residents displaced by a small fire and the discovery of building violations at a William Street apartment building have been relocated to new apartments elsewhere in the community, according to the American Red Cross.

The Red Cross provided assistance to 39 adults and 13 children left homeless by the forced closing of 221 William St. on April 12, when fire and building code violations were discovered.

Port Chester village officials believe about 75-people were living in the three-story William Street building. Immediately after the shut-down of the building, the Red Cross met with displaced residents at the Port Chester Senior Center and then opened an emergency shelter at the Carver Center, 400 Westchester Ave.

Red Cross officials said that working in conjunction with its community partners, the residents who sought assistance from the Red Cross have all been found new places to live. Their former home remains shut.

Port Chester declared the building unsafe and unfit for human habitation after inspectors found:

- Signs of overcrowding.

- The basement had two apartments with no emergency escape windows, no smoke/carbon monoxide detectors and locked rooms.

- Apartments on the first, second and third floors had multiple bedrooms with locked doors, no smoke/carbon monixide detectors and numerious electrical violations.

- The common area hallways had no smoke/carbon monoxide detectors, no emergency lighting and no exit signs.

- The rear of the property had a wooden porch with combustible storage, rotten wood and obstructions.

- There was evidence of illegal electrical work and wiring.

- Evidence of possible illegal basement occupancy.