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Millions
of families in New York are struggling to find a quality home at an affordable
price during our continuing housing crisis. This is a statewide crisis even
though so much media attention is focused on the crisis in New York City’s five
boroughs. Consider that 61 percent of renters in Greene County, just south of
Albany, pay more than 30 percent of their income on rent—the same percentage as
the rent burden for Bronx residents.

Solving this crisis requires that stakeholders of diverse backgrounds and locales band together to tackle these challenges head-on. It is encouraging to see a new faith-based coalition come together to expand affordable housing opportunities and educate communities about how they can help their neighbors. The New York State Association for Affordable Housing (NYSAFAH) is proud to lend its support to the New York State Council of Churches in their leadership across the state with their “Who is My Neighbor” teach-in series.

The
Council is hosting seminars across New York to bring together faith leaders,
key affordable housing stakeholders, and congregants from multi-faith religious
institutions. These seminars are designed to: inspire congregations to consider
new ways of reaching their communities; draw upon rich theological foundations;
and expand their mission to find more opportunities to create affordable
housing and other community benefits.  

Gatherings
have already taken place in White Plains and Medina and were attended by dozens
of participants from 10-20 local congregations. Three more are scheduled to be
held over the next six months, with an event in Manhasset on January 28, in
Saratoga Springs in March, and in Syracuse in May. This is truly a statewide
effort.

The Council of Churches has experience hosting events that translate ways that complex public policy issues impact local communities. Last spring, Peter Cook, the Council’s executive director and leader of the housing initiative, hosted teach-ins across 13 cities statewide. He, along with the Fiscal Policy Institute and other partners, went through the state budget with local residents and provided a forum for participants to discuss key issues. By expanding these programs to address the housing crisis specifically, the coalition is on its way to accomplishing much more.

The
housing crisis is impacting families of all backgrounds in many communities, posing
a real threat to the long-term health of our state. Community leaders have a
responsibility to proactively address this problem now on behalf of their
neighbors and constituents. Faith-based organizations have long led the way in
advocating for changes and opportunities for all New Yorkers and it is inspiring
to see them do so again with housing. It is even more encouraging that the
Council has partnered with leading experts like Goldstein Hall Attorneys at
Law, the Pace University Land Use Law Center, and other well-informed and
influential groups.

All leaders
and advocates across the state have an opportunity to benefit and learn from
these seminars. NYSAFAH strongly encourages community faith leaders, trustees,
governing board members, religious congregants and other community leaders to
attend upcoming seminars and spread the positive messaging to their
communities.

We continue
to support efforts that bring communities together in order to address the lack
of housing security threatening individuals across the state. In order to
tackle this crisis head-on, it’s crucial that we tackle it together. When we do
so, we can collectively ensure that families across our state have access to
the housing that they deserve.

The post Multi-faith coalition could answer the prayers of New Yorkers struggling with housing affordability appeared first on Real Estate Weekly.