Post on 16-Jan-2016
transcript
AFFORDABLE HOUSING IN
TOMPKINS COUNTY
ONE HOME AT A TIMEPrepared by McKenzie Jones-Rounds for INHS & DEA 6610: Environments and Health[April 2010]
“I came to the conclusion that what makes a difference
for people is their environment, where they live. Ifpeople have a decent place to live, then that allowsthem the time and energy to focus on other issues,
liketheir children’s education.”1
Lucy Brown,INHS Board of Trustees
THE STATE OF OUR COMMUNITY
Tompkins County, New York is experiencing a rise inhousing costs that is 3.2% faster than the rate of
incomegrowth, leaving only those families earning 120% of
thearea’s median income capable of owning a home. 2
Unfortunately, this means that many residents ofTompkins County are living in substandard housing.
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HOUSING MATTERS TO ALL OF US
Poor quality housing is associated with severalphysical and mental health problems, such as
asthmalead poisoning
hyperactivityreduced IQ
lung cancerand brain damage. 7,8
On top of that, low income families are often
living in neighborhoods that do not provide them
access to healthy food, nature, or physical activity. 9
As a matter of fact, due to where they live, low
income families are at greater risk for suffering from
obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.10, 11
BUT WE ARE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER
Ithaca Neighborhood Housing Services is supported in
part by federal and state funds, including grants forwhich they must regularly apply.
The non-profit also depends on the generosity of thepeople in Ithaca and Tompkins County, even if eachcommunity member does not know that he or shedirectly or indirectly receives the benefits of qualityaffordable housing.
“I believe that decent housing is a human right, asimportant to each of us as food, water, and love…Idonate because I am able to do it and because each of us depends on the other in this small town. For if Ivalue myself, I value you; and if you are hurting, so
am I.This is what we accept if we believe in community.”12
Ken McLane,INHS Donor
SO WE CAN ALWAYS HAVE HOPE
Ithaca Neighborhood Housing Services addressesthese issues by providing the City of Ithaca and
all ofTompkins County with valuable resources,
including
Homebuyer Education and AssistanceEnergy Improvement Loans
Home Repair LoansRental Programs
and More!
By providing quality affordable housing to low income
families, INHS is ensuring that Ithaca and Tompkins
County will remain a place for people to live andwork, to experience economic diversity, and mostimportantly,
to call Home.
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“Here I can finally relax, open my windows, inhale,exhale. I’ve had a tough life, I can get depressed.
I’ma dark person…but since I’ve moved here to CedarCreek, I have no desire to be in the dark ever
again.”17
Jerome,INHS Tenant
THANKS TO INHS,
WE MAY NEVER BE FAR FROM HOME…
thank you!
Isabel Boggs-Fernandez
Carol Eichler
Gary W. Evans
Jim Hilker
Jamie Jones-Rounds
Kenneth McLane
Pamela Webster
Nancy M. Wells
featuring
“Sun and Moon” by Chris Brenne
references
1. Lucy Brown, INHS Board of Trustees, personal interview with Carol Eichler, 2010.
2. Ithaca Neighborhood Housing Services, Strategic Plan, 2008-2012.
3. Isabel Boggs-Fernandez, personal photo, 2010.
4. Ithaca Neighborhood Housing Services, organization photo, 2010.
5. Gary W. Evans, lecture photo, 2010.
6. Ibid.
7. Bashir, S. A. (2002). Home is where the harm is: Inadequate housing as a public health crisis. American Journal of Public Health, 92, 733-738.
8. Krieger, J. & Higgins, D. L. (2002). Housing and health: Time again for public health action. American Journal of Public Health, 92, 758-768.
9. Wells, N. M., Ashdown, S. P., Davies, E. H. S., Cowett, F. D., & Yang, Y. (2007). Environment, design, and obesity: Opportunities for interdisciplinary collaborative research. Environment and Behavior, 39, 6-33.
10. Krieger, J., Rabkin, J., Sharify, D., & Song, L. (2009). High point walking for health: Creating built and social environments that support walking in a public housing community. American Journal of Public Health, 99, S593-S599.
11. Diez Roux, A. V. (2003). Residential environments and cardiovascular risk. Journal of Urban Health: Bulletine of the New York Academy of Medicine, 80, 569-589.
12. Kenneth McLane, person email correspondence, April, 2010.
13. Ithaca Neighborhood Housing Services, organization photo, 2010.
14. Ibid.
15. Ibid.
16. Ibid.
17. Jerome, INHS tenant, personal interview with Carol Eichler, 2010.
Building Neighborhoods,
Community, Ownership…