Community Housing Innovations

CHI Long Island Director Rosemary Dehlow Pitches Affordable
Rental Housing on WABC-TV and in Newsday

Rosemary Dehlow, Long Island Director of Community Housing Innovations, believes that the economic crisis provides an opportunity to stimulate the economy and help Long Island families by promoting rental housing.

Click Here to watch Ms. Dehlow’s interview on WABC-TV.

A crash plan for worker housing
County officials should urge towns to commit to building
30,000 affordable units over two years

BY: ROSEMARY DEHLOW | Rosemary Dehlow is director of Long Island programs for the nonprofit Community Housing Innovations.
January 15, 2009
Copyright © 2009, Newsday Inc.

I've never met an elected official on Long Island who's opposed to more low-income or affordable housing. So why is there a housing crisis here?

The shortage is worse than ever now, because the historic rise in Nassau-Suffolk real estate values during the past seven years has made suitable housing that much farther out of reach for many - even with today's softened market.

There are about 90,000 Long Island workers who will never be able to afford even a $250,000 to $300,000 starter, "handyman" home, because they earn $25,000 to $40,000 per year. These Long Islanders face the prospect of living in rental housing for most of their lifetimes.

But the sparse number of available rental studios here run $1,000 per month, and the one- or two-bedroom units rent for $1,500 to $2,000 per month. How can a single person afford to live anywhere if they net between $1,000 and $1,500 a month after taxes? There are still food, insurance, utilities and transportation costs to pay for.

Unfortunately, low-income and affordable housing suffers from an emotional, political stigma and negative misperception. We're not talking about housing for people on welfare. The people who need it are your friends and neighbors. They are people who work right in your home, providing services to your family (the housekeeper, landscaper and home-health aide, for instance). They work in the stores where you shop, like your supermarket, beauty salon, gas station and the restaurant where you eat. Maybe they drive the bus that brings your children to and from school.

Like me, perhaps you have a 20-something child who still lives at home - even though he or she would rather live independently but can't afford it. In May of last year, about 17,000 Long Island residents graduated from college. These recent graduates (many indebted with student loans) are lucky to make $30,000 in their first career jobs, even in most white-collar office settings.

Our affluent region has been humbled by recent economic events, so what about creating our own bold economic stimulus to enhance the strength of our population and create new opportunities?

A crash program to construct 30,000 units of entry-level housing within the next two years would meet the needs of about 1Â½ percent of Long Island's population. It would take a considerable amount of pressure off these workers, while helping to reduce the number of people living in basements, attics and garages, in violation of local zoning codes.

The Nassau and Suffolk county executives should use their bully pulpits to urge town officials to make a commitment to such a two-year plan.

Tom Suozzi and Steve Levy should summon Long Island's prominent private and nonprofit developers, who have demonstrated by their past performance how to create real estate value.

Why can't our government leaders require that for every strip mall and neighborhood shopping plaza location, there's an additional number of entry-level rental housing units built in the immediate vicinity?

The stores in the newly built Arches shopping complex in Deer Park have trouble finding the staff they need, because there is no suitable place in the immediate area the workers can live. This is a common dilemma throughout Long Island.

As part of this crash effort, what would be wrong with Long Island's identifying all of its closed, boarded retail sites, which de-value and blight the community? Why not quickly convert this real estate to entry-level housing to make it productive again?

During the current slow, distressed building climate, developers may welcome the assignment to produce innovative entry-level housing projects that are appealing to all, while triggering economic opportunity to benefit many in the community.

Long Islanders want to increase the high-paying, "quality" jobs that typically come with manufacturing and the professions. But the job increases here have been within the lower-paying, service sector, and that trend is continuing.

Long Island's refusal to take swift action to house our entry-level workers will help drive their exodus to regions where it's cheaper to live.

We must work now so that Long Island's economic viability doesn't get destroyed in the next decade.

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CHI Launches Free Foreclosure Prevention Program for Westchester

- Attorney Charlotte T. Watson Hired To Provide Foreclosure Counseling -

On January 26, Community Housing Innovations (CHI), launched an essential program to prevent home foreclosures in Westchester County. The program will provide free counseling and legal assistance to local residents in danger of losing their homes because of the current financial crisis and will assist with the following mitigation options: loan forbearance, loan modification, partial claim, pre-foreclosure sale (a.k.a. short sale), deed-in-lieu of foreclosure and bankruptcy. Funding for the program is being provided by a two-year grant from the Housing Trust Fund Corporation (HTFC).

Community Housing Innovations has hired Charlotte T. Watson, a respected local attorney, to direct the counseling program. “It is a great advantage to have an attorney providing the homeowner counseling,” explained Alexander Roberts, Executive Director of Community Housing Innovations. “This issue is tied to many legal ramifications and Watson is uniquely suited to provide our clients with the best advice from both a housing and legal perspective.”

Clients will first participate in an initial screening session designed to assess their delinquency and foreclosure status; then, a specialized plan will be developed to address each specific case. Those clients who need legal representation will be referred for a legal consultation with Marc Bergman, Esq., an attorney experienced in representing homeowners with sub-prime mortgages, and Community Housing Innovations will pay the fee for this initial legal consultation. Bergman is chair of the Westchester County Bar Association’s Predatory Lending Project and is also serving as the referral partner for WRO and Human Development Services of Westchester.

Community Housing Innovations estimates that it will receive 400 requests in the next two years for foreclosure mitigation counseling and negotiation services. Westchester County is affected by the sub-prime mortgage crisis to a greater extent than most other counties in the state. According to Meltdown: The Housing Crisis and its Impact on New York State’s Local Governments, a report released by the New York State Office of the Comptroller, Westchester is heavily affected by this crisis. In Westchester County, there were 822 foreclosure filings in the third quarter of 2008, representing a 513% increase over the past two years.

“The terms of the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 will encourage lenders to shift their approach and become more willing to work with troubled borrowers to find alternate resolutions to foreclosure,” stated Watson. “Our clients will fully understand all of their options.”

Homeowners who are facing foreclosure should call Community Housing Innovations at
(914) 683-1010 ext. 233 to arrange for free confidential foreclosure prevention counseling
or to receive further information.

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CHI’s Alexander Roberts Calls for Measured Response
to Credit Crisis in Editorial

In an op-ed piece in The Journal News, Community Housing Innovations Executive Director Alexander Roberts called for greater regulatory oversight of lending with an emphasis on homebuyer education, rather than greater restrictions on lending. “In a free society,” said Roberts. “citizens should be allowed to make informed decisions about loans, even if politicians think they are ‘high risk.’ The key is making sure that consumers are well-educated about risks and that the banks who make them are accountable.”

With $250,000 in Grants for Homeownership in Orange County,
an Attorney is First to Get One

But You Don’t Need to be an Attorney. Just show up at a free seminar on February 14th.

Mark Schwab, an attorney, is the first recipient of one of at least 10 grants of up to $25,000 each provided by Orange County and administered by Community Housing Innovations towards the purchase of a brand new condominium.

Good News in the Orange County Housing Market
Orange County Offers $25,000 Grants
to Qualified First-Time Homebuyers

Mandatory Info Session: February 14, 2009

- Municipal employees, teachers, nurses and other
local workers are encouraged to apply -

Middletown, NY: The economy is tight, but nine local residentsfirst-time homebuyers have a chance at a great deal. Community Housing Innovations (CHI), a nonprofit organization, has teamed up with On-Site Sales and Marketing, a licensed real estate brokerEagle’s Point Associates, to award nine lucky first-time homebuyers down payment assistance grants of up to $25,000 each. The grants can be used to purchase a new home at Eagles Point Condominiums in Middletown, NY and will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis. In order to apply, prospective homebuyers must attend a free information session on Saturday, February 14th, 2009, at 10:15 AM at the Middletown Thrall Library (11-19 Depot Street, Middletown, NY 10940). Space is limited; call (914) 683-1010 to RSVP.

Featuring superior architectural design and craftsmanship, the Eagles Point Condominium homess range in price from $149,900 to $189,000900, and the two bedroom homes are a great option for first-time homebuyers. The free down payment assistance and counseling are being made available through the Orange County HOME Program, and are designed to help residents afford a home in the community in which they work. Therefore, municipal employees, teachers, nurses, police officers and other local workers are encouraged to apply. In order to qualify, the applicants can have an income up to $55,350.

“These grants will help people realize their dream of homeownership,” stated Alexander Roberts, Executive Director of Community Housing Innovations.

For more information about the down payment assistance, visit www.eaglespointny.com or contact Community Housing Innovations us at (845) 346-0007 or info@eaglespointny.com (914) 683-1010 ext. 225 or visit www.chigrants.org. To learn more about the homes, visit www.eaglespointny.com.

The belt-tightening in Westchester County government has hit two popular job training programs at CHI Career Services. Funding for the agency’s Medical Billing and Adult Literacy programs were eliminated for the current year, despite excellent results in completion and job placement in a tough climate. However, CHI Career Services has a new program planned that just may serve as a national model to training and moving welfare recipients into new “green jobs”. Stay tuned.

Evelyn, Edward and their three children were among the many families evicted from their homes on Long Islandin 2008. In a matter of months they went from living a comfortable middle class lifestyle to depending on food stamps in a homeless shelter. Unfortunately they were hit with a stroke of bad luck when Evelyn lost her job as a nurse due to a work related injury and Edward was simultaneously laid off due to the bad economy. The family reached out to Nassau County Department of Social Services for help and was housed at the Long Beach Motor Inn. Shortly after placement at the motel, the family was transferred to CHI’s Scattered Site Transitional Program. During their stay in this program they worked closely with their Case Manger to regain the positive independent lifestyle they once knew. Since Evelyn was unable to work, Edward felt the pressure to find employment and rescue his family. With the assistance of CHI, Edward revised his resume, enrolled in a work program to gain interviewing skills, and obtained a free suit and shoes from a local nonprofit agency. With this renewed confidence, Edward secured employment as a construction supervisor making $70,000 a year. Before long, the family located permanent housing and they are currently living back in their hometown. Although they lost their home, they have given other homeless families hope that perseverance, even during the hardest of times, can pay off.