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…