A longtime center that has provided programs for adults with disabilities is closing its Peekskill location and merging with the Abbott House in Irvington.

The Keon Center in Peekskill has provided day programs and services for adults with developmental disabilities for generations.

The location is set to close April 1 and its programs will be moved 20 miles south to a building in Irvington owned and operated by the Abbott House.

Cortlandt Manor resident Donna Malia says her 27-year-old daughter Allison has developmental disabilities, and one way she's received support was through the Keon programs in Peekskill. 

“It allows her to have friends in the community as well as feel useful in the things that she does,” Malia says.

The merger between the two organizations was first announced in 2019. Allison continued programs in Peekskill as it stayed open in the meantime, but her routine will end in a few weeks.

A letter dated March 1 of this year warned families the Peekskill site would close in exactly one month. Some families say one month was not enough notice to decide whether to take the longer route or scramble for alternatives.

“It's a huge difference because the Keon Center is about 15 minutes away and the Abbott House Center from our house in the car is 40 minutes,” Malia says. “That is a very tight timeframe, most parents are working, it's not like you can just take off and make other plans."

While Westchester County's ParaTransit system can efficiently bring Allison to and from Irvington, her family says a long-distance ride with familiar people would be more ideal.  

News 12’s calls to Abbott House haven't been returned, but the letter to families cites pandemic financial burdens as the cause for closure, ultimately making it difficult to afford the lease. 

However, Allison's family says the viable business move isn't the best for those who've relied on the center's proximity for years.