"Nearly half the renters in our state are paying too much for rent, I think it's a third of people are paying half their income," says Jolie Milstein, President and CEO of the New York State Association for Affordable Housing.
More and more, New Yorkers are struggling to pay for a basic necessity: a roof over their head. That's why leaders from the state and local level, as well as advocate for affordable housing initiatives met for the largest conference of its kind in Upstate New York. The New York State Association for Affordable Housing hosted a gathering at the newly remodeled Hotel Henry to discuss plans for developing housing within the reach of neighbors in the state.
The conference featured a panel discussion, focusing on Buffalo's inclusionary zoning initiative.
Buffalo is seeing a massive revitalization, with new developments and millions of dollars coming from the state in the form of the Buffalo Billion. This revitalization means some neighbors are no longer able to afford rent in the homes they've lived their entire lives as neighborhoods are improved.
Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown says the city of Buffalo is trying to combat this problem by creating mixed-income neighborhoods, keeping longtime residents from being forced out of their homes while still drawing in new residents. Brown says this will partly be accomplished by allocating Buffalo Billion funds into the revitalization of key neighborhoods, like the East Side.
