Frances Lowney has lived across the street from Lakeside Manor since it opened 46 years ago.

The assisted-living facility provides food, medication, counseling, and lodging to about 200 men and women with mental health and substance abuse problems.

Residents can come and go as they please -- something neighbors like Lowney say is a problem.

"The owners of Lakeside have never really properly taken care of their clientele. They wander the streets, they panhandle," Lowney says.

Neighbors have filed at least two dozen complaints with the state health department in the last year, alleging prostitution, aggressive panhandling, loitering, drug use, public urination, and other nuisances.

After investigating, the agency cited Lakeside Manor for 14 violations between October and June, some alleging resident abuse, withholding resident mail, and failure to disperse monthly personal allowance.

The health department substantiated two more complaints over the summer for poor quality of care, resident abuse, and falsification of records.

Resident Thomas Good tells NY1, "They are just not caring for their folks."

Lakeside Manor says the complaints have no merit and is accusing the Forest Regional Residents Civic Association of making false accusations about the facility's operations.

The home's attorney sent a letter to the civic group warning, "Lakeside Manor reserves its right to take legal action against the FRCCA [[and/or its members]] based on the defamatory remarks made."

The civic association declined our requests for comment.  

"If you have complaints that have been substantiated by the health department, that's no longer slander or libel, if it ever was. You have a fact," Good says.

The state Department of Health tells NY1 that every time a complaint against Lakeside Manor was substantiated, the facility was made aware and given a detailed report about the problem, as well as 10 days to come up with a plan to fix it.

Still, when we reached out to Lakeside for comment on the complaints, a spokeswoman told us they were vague and distorted.

Lakeside Manor says it complies with state requirements, adding, "It is unfortunate that some members of the community continue to demonize Lakeside Manor and the people we serve by pointing to inaccurate information as evidence of wrongdoing."