Public Statement by The Westchester Coalition for Police Reform in Response to the Death of Robert Brooks

We are deeply disturbed by the recent video showing...

NR NAACP Will Be Hosting MLK Day Program & Annual Jubilee Celebration

The New Rochelle Branch of the NAACP will be...

Macy’s Is Closing 66 Stores Nationwide, Cross County Is Not Among 9 NY Locations

Macy’s is closing several dozen stores nationwide as part...

White Plains Mayor Tom Roach Announces He Will Be Running For County Clerk

Longtime White Plains Mayor Tom Roach, who became acting...

Lions Club and Mount Vernon Fire Department Hosted The 3 Kings Toy Drive

On Saturday, January 4th, the Mount Vernon The Lions...

Mount Vernon Man Fatally Shot in New Rochelle, Police Say No Active Damage To The Public

(Photo above courtesy of Talk Of The Sound) A 22-year-old...

Kenneth W. Jenkins Sworn In As Westchester’s First Black County Executive

Surrounded by colleagues, family members, and friends, Kenneth W....

RESPONSE: County Executive Latimer’s State of the County Fails to Address Westchester’s Housing Crisis by Juanita Lewis

Date:

Thursday, March 14, 2024 (WESTCHESTER, NY) — County Executive George Latimer delivered his 2024 State of the County Address Thursday evening, following dozens rallying outside for social justice and Palestine. In response to CE Latimer’s STOC address, Juanita O. Lewis, Executive Director of Community Voices Heard, issued the following statement on the growing housing crisis in Westchester County:

“The health and prosperity of our Westchester communities depend on having safe, affordable housing. Over the past several years, rents and housing costs in Westchester have continued to skyrocket, without any relief for families. As we highlighted in our report, Building Westchester’s Future: The Need for Affordable and Equitable Housing, Westchester is in a severe housing crisis, marked by extreme racial disparities. Unfortunately, County Executive Latimer and his administration have failed again and again to address the crisis, despite repeated warnings from housing advocates.

The County’s own 2019 housing report found that Westchester has a severe shortage of deeply affordable housing and senior housing, and the problem has only grown worse since then. An increasing number of families are spending half or more of their income on rent or mortgage payments, and the County hasn’t implemented any kind of plan to stabilize costs and grow the stock of truly affordable housing. 

Westchester also has a one-time opportunity to spend $100 million of ARPA funds to support deeply affordable housing – for people with household incomes at 30% AMI or less ($44,050 or less for a four-person family). Yet, the County plans to spend that money to develop housing for households making up to 65% of the Area Median Income – or $95,438 for a family of four.

Real housing affordability should be a top priority of County Executive Latimer. But instead, families in Westchester have been left behind once again.

Community Voices Heard (CVH) is a member-led, multi-racial organization principally comprised of women of color and low-income families in New York State. CVH tackles tough issues and builds power to secure racial, social, and economic justice for all New Yorkers. Through grassroots organizing, leadership development, policy changes, and creating new models of direct democracy, CVH is creating a truly equitable New York State.

AJ Woodson
AJ Woodson
AJ Woodson is the Editor-In-Chief and co-owner of Black Westchester, Host & Producer of the People Before Politics Radio Show, An Author, Journalism Fellow (Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism), Rap Artist - one third of the legendary underground rap group JVC FORCE known for the single Strong Island, Radio Personality, Hip-Hop Historian, Documentarian, Activist, Criminal Justice Advocate and Freelance Journalist whose byline has appeared in several print publications and online sites including The Source, Vibe, the Village Voice, Upscale, Sonicnet.com, Launch.com, Rolling Out Newspaper, Daily Challenge Newspaper, Spiritual Minded Magazine, Word Up! Magazine, On The Go Magazine and several others. Follow me at Blue Sky https://bsky.app/profile/mrajwoodson.bsky.social and Spoutible https://spoutible.com/MrAJWoodson

2 COMMENTS

Comments are closed.

Share post:

BW ADS

spot_img
spot_img
spot_img
spot_img
spot_img
spot_imgspot_img
spot_img
spot_img

Black 2 Business

Thursday, March 14, 2024 (WESTCHESTER, NY) — County Executive George Latimer delivered his 2024 State of the County Address Thursday evening, following dozens rallying outside for social justice and Palestine. In response to CE Latimer’s STOC address, Juanita O. Lewis, Executive Director of Community Voices Heard, issued the following statement on the growing housing crisis in Westchester County:

“The health and prosperity of our Westchester communities depend on having safe, affordable housing. Over the past several years, rents and housing costs in Westchester have continued to skyrocket, without any relief for families. As we highlighted in our report, Building Westchester’s Future: The Need for Affordable and Equitable Housing, Westchester is in a severe housing crisis, marked by extreme racial disparities. Unfortunately, County Executive Latimer and his administration have failed again and again to address the crisis, despite repeated warnings from housing advocates.

The County’s own 2019 housing report found that Westchester has a severe shortage of deeply affordable housing and senior housing, and the problem has only grown worse since then. An increasing number of families are spending half or more of their income on rent or mortgage payments, and the County hasn’t implemented any kind of plan to stabilize costs and grow the stock of truly affordable housing. 

Westchester also has a one-time opportunity to spend $100 million of ARPA funds to support deeply affordable housing – for people with household incomes at 30% AMI or less ($44,050 or less for a four-person family). Yet, the County plans to spend that money to develop housing for households making up to 65% of the Area Median Income – or $95,438 for a family of four.

Real housing affordability should be a top priority of County Executive Latimer. But instead, families in Westchester have been left behind once again.

Community Voices Heard (CVH) is a member-led, multi-racial organization principally comprised of women of color and low-income families in New York State. CVH tackles tough issues and builds power to secure racial, social, and economic justice for all New Yorkers. Through grassroots organizing, leadership development, policy changes, and creating new models of direct democracy, CVH is creating a truly equitable New York State.

AJ Woodson
AJ Woodson
AJ Woodson is the Editor-In-Chief and co-owner of Black Westchester, Host & Producer of the People Before Politics Radio Show, An Author, Journalism Fellow (Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism), Rap Artist - one third of the legendary underground rap group JVC FORCE known for the single Strong Island, Radio Personality, Hip-Hop Historian, Documentarian, Activist, Criminal Justice Advocate and Freelance Journalist whose byline has appeared in several print publications and online sites including The Source, Vibe, the Village Voice, Upscale, Sonicnet.com, Launch.com, Rolling Out Newspaper, Daily Challenge Newspaper, Spiritual Minded Magazine, Word Up! Magazine, On The Go Magazine and several others. Follow me at Blue Sky https://bsky.app/profile/mrajwoodson.bsky.social and Spoutible https://spoutible.com/MrAJWoodson

2 COMMENTS

Comments are closed.

Subscribe

Latest Posts

More like this
Related

Mount Vernon’s Opportunity to Community Revitalization Through ELOC Initiative

Mount Vernon, NY, a city currently facing significant financial...

Snoop Dogg and Nelly: Sellouts or Strategists for Rap’s 60% White Audience?

Once an underground cultural force, rap music has become...

Why Does TikTok Raise Alarm While Chinese Land Ownership Goes Unnoticed?

In 2021, a Chinese company purchased land near an...