Resources and More Information

“Business has an enormous stake in the availability of affordable (diversified) housing.For companies who call Westchester home, it is crucial that their employees, present and future, have a place to live that meets the full range of employee salaries and does not require a long, tedious commute. Simply put, diversified housing is essential for sustainable economic development.”

Lawrence E. Dwyer, Jr., President,
Westchester County Association

Many communities in Westchester have local affordable housing boards or not for profit housing corporations you can contact for additional information. To learn if your community has such an organization, you can call or email Deputy Commissioner Norma Drummond of the Westchester County Department of Planning at (914) 995-2427, or the Community Housing Resource Center at (914) 332-4144. There are several organizations working for affordable housing in Westchester on a Countywide basis. These organizations include:

Housing Action Council (HAC) provides a full range of services to private and public clients that enable them to create competent affordable housing programs and projects. HAC sponsors the development of affordable housing which are marketed to low- and moderate-income households and provides mortgage, budget and credit counseling services for low- and moderate-income first-time home buyers.

WRO champions the expansion of housing opportunities for minorities, senior citizens, disabled individuals and low/moderate income people. WRO also provides counseling to first-time home buyers, fair housing education, shared housing services and mortgage default counseling.

CHI and its subsidiaries assist low and moderate income households in all aspects of the development and purchase of housing. CHI administers a down payment grant program, a rehabilitation loan program and counseling services for first time home buyers.

Westchester Housing Fund (WHF)
14 Browns Lane
Hawthorne, New York 10532
592-3244
E-Mail

WHF provides educational activities and 0% loans for developers of affordable units.
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Westchester Housing “Myths & Reality”, produced by “Comnet” for the League of Women Voters of Westchester, 1998. 17:36. An exploration of affordable housing developments in Westchester and their impact on local communities. A copy of the video can be obtained by calling the LWVW at 949-0507.
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“Even though Westchester is thought of as an affluent county, nearly everyone knows someone who needs affordable housing–a co-worker, a family member, an elderly person on fixed income, an employee, people we rely on for services every day (local government employees, bank tellers, teachers, postal workers, volunteer firefighters), a young family just getting started...the list goes on and on.”

Rose Noonan, Executive Director
Housing Action Council

Westchester County Department of Planning
www.westchestergov.com/planning

New York State Housing Finance Agency
www.nyhomes.org/hfa/hfa.html

Affordable Housing Corporation (AHC)
www.nyhomes.org/ahc/ahc.html

State of New York Mortgage Agency
www.nyhomes.org/sony/sonyma.html

New York State Division of Housing and Community Renewal Affordable Housing Directory
www.dhcr.state.ny.us/ahd/default.asp

New York State Government Resources on Housing
www.nysl.nysed.gov/ils/topics/housing.htm|

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
www.hud.gov

Housing First Campaign Affordable Housing for all New Yorkers
www.housingfirst.net

Fannie Mae Foundation
www.fanniemaefoundation.com

Freddie Mac
www.freddiemac.com

National Low Income Housing Coalition
www.nlihc.org

National grassroots campaign to increase federal funds for housing
www.igc.org/housingamerica

The Affordable Housing Law Book: A Guide to Federal, State, County and Local Laws Affecting the Provision of Affordable Housing. (The Real Estate Law Society, Pace University Law School)

Housing and the Westchester Economy, 1996. (Westchester 2000 Research Center) Study showing impact of housing on local economy and need for zoning and planning boards to work with public officials to focus on need for affordable housing.

Housing Opportunities for Westchester, A Guide to Affordable Housing Development (Westchester County Housing Opportunity Commission, 1997). A description of the County’s housing policy and the impact of affordable housing development on the County.

Westchester Housing Implementation Commission, Affordable Housing Allocation Plan (Westchester Housing Implementation Commission, 1993). The allocation plan for 5000 units of permanent affordable housing to be developed within a 10 year period in the County of Westchester.

Housing Characteristics: Westchester County, 1990: Census’90. Report of 1990 Census Information prepared by the Westchester County Department of Planning Land Use and Research Division.

Westchester County Housing Needs Assessment. (Center for Urban Policy Research, Rutgers – The State University of New Jersey. 1991. Analysis of Westchester County housing and the impact on socio economic characteristics of Westchester 1990-2000.

“Not In My Back Yard” Removing Barriers to Affordable Housing: Report to President Bush and Secretary Kemp by the Advisory Commission on Regulatory Barriers to Affordable Housing. 1991.

Good Neighbors: Affordable Family Housing (Images Publishing Group Pty Ltd, Melborne Australia) Tom Jones, Michael Pyatok, William Pettus (1996). An exploration of 85 well-designed, affordable housing developments around the country, with an array of color and “before and after” photographs, and extensive discussion of the issues raised and addressed by each development.

Economic Benefits of Housing Trust Funds, Housing Trust Fund Project (1993). This study found that “for every 100 new units of affordable housing construction, eight jobs are created and more than $10 million is generated in construction wages, sales taxes on building materials, development fees and property taxes.”

Why Affordable Housing Does not Lower Property Values HomeBase (1995). Two page annotated bibliography of property value studies addressing common concerns that affordable housing lowers nearby property values.

NIMBY Fears, Community Perceptions: Analysis of Affordable and Market rate Housing Developments in Oakland, California, Cathy Cha, Masters Thesis, University of California, Berkeley (1996). This study found that neighbors living near affordable housing developments perceived them more favorably than neighbors living near similarly priced market rate developments.

Westchester County The Foundation of Affordable Housing: A Progress Report. (1996). A report by the County Planning Department on the development of affordable housing in Westchester between 1990 and 1996.

“If we don’t do something soon, in three or four years our volunteer fire departments will have no more volunteers. Taxpayers will feel the burden when they have to changeover to a paid fire department. Housing that allows young families to stay in the community and work close to home, will strengthen the volunteer pool–and help keep our volunteer fire departments working for the community.”

Bill Ventura, Second Assistant Chief,
Briarcliff Manor Volunteer Fire Department