At a recent local community luncheon, friends and supporters of the Rural Ulster Preservation Company [RUPCO] were informed of the pressing need for more affordable housing in Ulster County.

RUPCO’s stated vision is for, “strong, vibrant and inclusive communities with a home and opportunity for everyone.”

Upon entering the luncheon, a sign highlights the current crises in Ulster County; the waiting list for RUPCO’s 771 apartments tops 4,600 households with more than 1,500 homeless; 60 households are on a waiting list for the Solutions to End Homelessness Program; 458 households are living in shelters and motels in the county; 290 pre-approved households are facing barriers to purchase their first home; 371 households are on a wait list for the homeowner repair program; 1,611 households are waiting for Section 8 Rental Assistance; 391 homeowners are in need of foreclosure prevention counseling and 53 households are on a list for housing opportunities for people with AIDS.

RuthAnne Visnauskas, Commissioner of NYS Homes and Community Renewal (NYSHCR), delivered this year’s keynote address. Her organization collaborates with partners, like RUPCO, to ensure housing affordability and seeks to build inclusive, safe, sustainable communities statewide. She noted that NYSHCR engages with localities to be part of the solution and last year came up with $650 million, “for localities that are pro-hosing and we’re delighted to have gotten through that without push-back. We really understand that resources, whether it’s to localities or to non-profits, in developing partnerships, may make a difference in getting housing built that helps to relieve the stress of housing affordability.”

Last year Visnauskas said they put in for $500 million through the state budget process to support the development of state sites.

“The Governor really wants to put land where her mouth is, for lack of a better phrase,” Visnauskas said, adding that some state sites can be turned into affordable hosing projects. “A lot of sites need infrastructure, parking replacement, water and sewer, demolition of a state building and so there is $500 million sitting in the state budget to be spent to facilitate development of up to 50,000 units of housing on state-owned sites.”

Visnauskas said there is also funding for Public Housing Authorities, Land Banks, to upgrade vacant rental apartments and for USDA 515 projects. This last category offers direct loans to eligible borrowers to provide economically designed and constructed housing and related facilities for very low, low and moderate-income households, elderly households and persons with disabilities living in rural areas.

Visnauskas said the beauty of the Hudson Valley, its proximity to New York City and the effects of covid, “has increased housing pressures even more. The possibility of people locating here and the ability to pay more for properties, made it harder for people who were already here to stay where they are or find new housing opportunities.”

Visnauskas said housing studies, “show that about 44% of New York households are living in economic stress.” She said overlaying this with issues of systemic racism, racial bias and economic discrimination, all plays out in our lives every day.”

Visnauskas said it is important to highlight what it takes to create affordable housing, “and to make sure we have the resources and the tools we need to create stability and improve lives for all New Yorkers.”

Visnauskas said currently upstate New York is not unlike other areas, with rents that are 40% to 60% above what they were 10 years ago, homes prices up by 50% and in some places 80% higher than what they were a decade ago. She pointed that, “we have this real mismatch in job growth and housing production, creating 5 million jobs over the last 10 years and only 400,000 units of housing.”