State DHCR Issues Housing Needs Study for Western NY

ALBANY, NY (10/30/2008)(readMedia)-- The State Division of Housing and Community Renewal (DHCR) has released a regional report on the housing needs of Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie and Niagara Counties. The Western New York Affordable Housing Needs Study is the sixth in a series of nine regional reports being prepared by DHCR, which will issue a Statewide Affordable Housing Needs Study once the regional reports have been completed.

To research the housing needs of Western New York, DHCR staff traveled throughout the region meeting with local government officials and housing professionals from pertinent county and city departments, including community development, planning, economic development and housing. Affordable housing developers from the private sector, both for profit and not-for-profit, also participated and provided their insights into the region's housing needs.

Governor David A. Paterson said DHCR's Affordable Housing Needs Study "represents a new level of outreach to and coordination with local officials who best understand the needs of their communities. These reports will provide us with a powerful tool to help determine how New York State's housing and community development programs can best be targeted to meet the needs of our residents."

DHCR Commissioner Deborah VanAmerongen said "Gathering first hand information from local leaders and housing professionals has never been attempted before, but I felt the best way to address the housing and community development needs of the state was to talk with the people on the ground - the local experts who know the region best."

VanAmerongen said DHCR took a regional approach because "while each region of the state is facing a shortage of affordable housing, the causes, effects and solutions are very different from region to region. These studies will help us to create a plan of action that addresses each region's individual needs."

John D. Murphy, executive director of the Chautauqua Home Rehabilitation and Improvement Corporation (CHRIC) said "I appreciate the outreach undertaken by DHCR to better understand the unique housing and community development challenges faced by the different regions of New York State. This hopefully will move us away from a "One-Size-Fits-All" approach and help us to solve the affordable housing, neighborhood revitalization and community development needs of rural and Upstate New York."

Bob Sobeck of the Alfred Housing Committee said "We are very pleased to have taken part in DHCR's Housing Needs Study. It is absolutely critical for our organization to continue to partner with the NYS Division of Housing and Community Renewal in our efforts to create and maintain safe and affordable housing to the residents of our service area."

Issues: Weatherization, Aging Population and Vacant Buildings

The region's harsh winters and the need to provide more funding for weatherization were topics of discussion at every meeting in the region. A representative from a preservation company in Cattaraugus County said they have a waiting list of more than three years which includes 600 households. In Chautauqua the wait list is estimated at five years. Niagara County participants said there are approximately 700 households on the County's weatherization program wait list.

Commissioner VanAmerongen noted that DHCR has been addressing the need for energy conservation in Western NY (and other regions of the state) and hopes to do even more next year. More than $5 million has been allocated for weatherization projects in the region, and last month an additional $3 million was allocated to fund projects in regions that had a critical need for additional weatherization assistance, including Western NY. VanAmerongen hopes to significantly increase funding for the weatherization program next year.

Population loss was also a frequently-mentioned issue -- it is estimated that Erie and Niagara Counties alone have lost nearly 140,000 residents, more than 10 percent of their population, between 1960 and 2000.

The loss of population has caused additional problems in the region. As young people leave the region, they leave behind older residents, and as a result the region is aging faster than the national average. Also, the downward population trend has resulted in a large number of vacant and abandoned buildings in the region - Buffalo officials estimate there are 12,000 vacant buildings in the city.

There was also good news in the report, which identified a number of assets, including:

• An established network of affordable housing advocacy and development organizations;

• Cultural, social and arts entertainment;

• Historic architecture;

• Natural resources - Lake Erie, Buffalo and Niagara Rivers and Niagara Falls;

• Stable housing costs and market;

• Institutions of higher education;

• Proximity to Canada;

• Seneca Niagara Casino & Hotel;

• People - resilient and trainable for skilled positions.

Additionally, some meeting participants said Buffalo's downtown area is "booming."

Approximately 1,000 loft style apartments have been developed there in recent years and

high-end rentals have attracted young adults and professionals to the city center.

All the completed regional studies are available on the DHCR website -www.nysdhcr.gov - under "key documents."

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