Affordable Housing-
Remains a critical issue on Long Island and in Westchester

State lawmakers recently met with local advocates and nonprofit organizations to discuss Long Island's affordable housing crisis and its impact on homelessness. The round table, organized by Senator Velmanette Montgomery and Nassau Suffolk Law Services, Inc., took place at SUNY Farmingdale on Thursday, January 16, 2020.
Local lawmakers say the lack of affordable housing on Long Island, combined with the high cost of living and high property taxes, is forcing many to leave the region. Among the groups most affected are young people, seniors, veterans, and people living with disabilities.
Representatives from 27 nonprofit and government service agencies from across the Island had the opportunity to share their perspectives and ideas with local Senators and Assembly members. The topics of discussion included expanding access to affordable housing, improving mental health services, and ensuring educational equity.

"This was a productive and enlightening conversation," said State Senator Kevin Thomas, who represents parts of Nassau County. "Conversations like this are incredibly valuable because they help us understand the complexities of the issue. When we think of Long Island, we think of idyllic suburbs, great schools, a wonderful place to raise a family. This image erases the struggles of thousands of families on Long Island who are dealing with homelessness in some way, shape, or form. I'm grateful that we're having these conversations and seeking real solutions to a problem that's impacting so many Long Islanders."
Lawmakers will bring their new insights back to Albany as the State's 2020 Legislative Session goes into full-swing
February 2020
1st Time Homeownership Orientations
Dates & Locations:

Westchester
Thursday, February 6, 2020
Sponsored by-Sterling National Bank
Location: Grinton Library
1500 Central Park Ave
Yonkers, NY 10710
Time: 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm

Long Island
Thursday, February 13, 2020
Location: 68 South Service Road
Melville, NY
Time: 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm

Would you qualify for a 1st time homeownership grant from CHI?
From Challenge to Celebration
Many of the clients who come to Community Housing Innovations have experienced challenges that have set their lives into a spiral of either physical, emotional or economic chaos and have left them feeling helpless and hopeless.
 
CHI’s emergency shelter program offers them a temporary place to live and work alongside our highly trained and dedicated social workers and case managers to help them “untangle the knots” and set their sights on the horizons of hope and new beginnings
.
In August of 2019, a mother and her daughter became residents of CHI’s Moreland Family Shelter. “R.C.” had faced the challenge many face on Long Island, of finding housing that would be commensurate with her low-moderate income. She became the tenant in a house owned by an absentee landlord. The unit she rented was in need of upgrades and repairs, but without many options she agreed to the terms of the rental. R.C. depended on rental subsidies through the Section 8 program, which helped her meet the monthly expense of her housing costs. In R.C.’s case, the rental subsidy was $300.00.
 
She notified her landlord of the conditions of her rental and asked him to please have the property examined and repaired as needed. Her numerous requests were never addressed.
 
R.C.’s health as a direct effect of a mold problem worsened. She was hospitalized and was placed in a medically induced coma for nearly 3 months. During this time, friends and family cared for her daughter at their homes. Given her compromised health, R.C. was unable to make the rental payments for the three months she was hospitalized.
 
To make matters worse, her landlord had her evicted.
 
With no place else to go, R.C. turned to Suffolk County’s Department of Social Services for guidance and referral, which is how she came to Community Housing Innovations. She explained to her program manager, Jen, that since her previous landlord filed an eviction notice with DSS, based on the arrears of $300, this impacted her eligibility for any future Section 8 voucher assistance which she desperately needed to find a new place to live.
 
Thanks to the Hand Up fund, which was initiated by Community Housing Innovations in June of 2019, there was a resource of immediate help. The CHI program manager, Jen, issued a request on behalf of R.C.’s need for $300.00 to reimburse her previous landlord and clear her record with Section 8.
 
The Hand Up fund is supported by compassionate community donors who understand that modest but critically needed financial assistance for CHI clients makes all the difference in helping individuals get their lives back on track. The Hand Up fund assists clients with needs such as workforce certification fees, applications for housing, transportation costs, employment attire and the like.
 
On January 31, R.C. and her daughter will be moving into their new home in Bay Shore .
 
Every day, in every way possible, Community Housing Innovations assists clients to help restore their confidence, direction and achievement of self-sufficiency and economic independence. We are grateful to every donor and community resource that partners with us to help make more stories like this on, have a happy ending. Thank you.