Who Needs Affordable Housing

“It is Westchester’s workforce that needs affordable housing. Because wages in the County have not kept up with the escalating costs of housing, many people who are employed here cannot afford to live here.

By definition, a household earning 80% of an area’s median income is considered “low income”, based upon the County's home ownership guidelines. Westchester County’s extraordinary affluence means that a family of four can earn as much as $73,100, be classified as “low income” and qualify for affordable housing.

The people who live in affordable housing want safe, decent, attractive housing for the same reasons that we all do: to provide a nurturing environment to raise children, to remain in the community where they were raised and/or to become a part of the community where they work.

They are employed as secretaries, school teachers, local government employees, restaurant workers and sales and bank clerks. These workers need affordable housing because of the wide gap between what they earn and what housing costs. Helping employers keep employees at affordable wages benefits the community through lower taxes and a lower cost of living.

The lack of housing units affordable to low and moderate income employees causes some families to bypass Westchester and to seek employment and housing elsewhere.

For Westchester employees finding affordable housing in adjacent counties means long distance commutes which aggravate road congestion and contribute to air pollution.

When choices are available, businesses and entrepreneurs will seek to locate in an area where housing is readily available at a reasonable cost. A shortage of affordable housing has a negative impact on business location decisions.

Housing Affordability 1980 & 2000

Most people living in homes purchased in the 1980s
could not afford to buy their houses today.
Source: US Census Bureau.

High housing costs can devastate fixed income from pensions and Social Security. Some seniors also need special services provided in affordable housing developments.

“A high-priced suburb still needs the people who are its roots. If (our young families) can’t stay here, we lose both the flavor of the community and the services they provide.”
Hon. Lee J. Kinnally, Jr., Mayor, Hastings-on-Hudson,
New York Times September 18, 1999

Who Needs Affordable Housing (for a family of four)
Personnel Manager	$63,920
Municipal Engineer	$63,000
Computer Technician	$62,500
Firefighter	$53,506
Teacher	$45,000
Police Officer	$40,398
Paralegal	$39,989
Librarian	$38,000
Court Clerk	$31,200
Data Processor	$29,900
Bank Teller	$19,000
Pharmacy Technician	$16,800
A family of four with a total household income equal to the above salaries would qualify as "low income" (80% of median) and be eligible for affordable housing.