MEDIA: 20,000 Seniors Hold Out for Affordable Housing in Western Queens

Stefan Schack

There's more demand for affordable housing for seniors in areas around Astoria than any other part of the city

By: EMILY NONKO
Wednesday, March 23, 2016
Publication & Publisher: Curbed New York

There's a waitlist of nearly 20,000 seniors hoping to secure affordable housing in Western Queens neighborhoods like Astoria, Woodside, East Elmhurst and Jackson Heights. The district, which has seven affordable housing buildings for seniors, has more demand than any other part of the city.

The senior advocacy group LiveOn NY released a survey, picked up by DNAinfo, that found 111,000 seniors are on waitlists for affordable housing in New York, with an average wait time of seven years. (It's been said that it's easier to get into Harvard than secure an affordable senior apartment here.) Despite three senior housing developments built in Astoria by HANAC, Inc. over the past 10 years, the waitlist numbers in Western Queens are far higher than any other district in the city. HANAC's developments have a total of 350 units but there's a waitlist of 13,000 for just those three buildings.

LiveOn NY released the survey in support of the mayor's controversial housing proposals, just approved this week. The City Council strongly supported Zoning for Quality and Affordability (ZQA) and Mandatory Inclusionary Housing (MIH), which ensure more senior and affordable housing is included in denser buildings.

Claire Hilger, the senior vice president for real estate with Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens—which runs two senior buildings in Astoria with a waitlist of 1,300—told DNAinfo she believes a number of vacant parking lots at their developments could be used for more housing under the zoning change.

Councilmember Costa Constantinides, of Astoria, told DNAinfo that the dire need for senior housing convinced him to vote for the zoning changes this week. And Bobbi Sackman, director of public policy at LiveOn NY, sees the discussion around rezoning as a step in the right direction. "The whole ZQA debate, it opens a door, literally, to the city's awareness," she told DNAinfo. "You can't go backwards. You can't now close that door and say you never knew."

• Nearly 20,000 Seniors Waitlisted for Affordable Housing in Astoria District [DNAinfo]
• City Council Approves Controversial Affordable Housing Proposals [Curbed]
• All affordable housing coverage [Curbed]

MEDIA: City Council strikes affordable housing zoning deal with de Blasio

Maria Isabel Housing in the Bronx WIKIPEDIA

By: Stephon Johnson
Saturday, March 19, 2016
Publication & Publisher: Amsterdam News

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio achieved a major victory this week when the New York City Council approved his housing re-zoning plan.

“I am immensely proud of our partnership with Speaker Mark-Viverito and the City Council, and I commend them for their hard work throughout this process,” said de Blasio in a statement. “They have pushed every day to reach as many New Yorkers as possible and to protect our neighborhoods. We look forward to seeing these vital reforms enacted in the days ahead. New York City is now on the verge of implementing the strongest, most progressive affordable housing policies in the nation. Years from now, we will look back on this as a watershed moment when we turned the tide to keep our city a place for everyone.”

De Blasio’s plan underwent a few revisions and was the source of several debates among legislators. Under the current Council-approved plan, the city would require builders to include below-market rate apartment units in new buildings if they want to construct in areas that are rezoned for residential growth or simply building higher (known as mandatory inclusionary housing). It’s the first time something like this requirement would be applied. The Council-approved plan would also give builders the option to set aside below-market rate apartment units for households with salaries averaging 60 percent of the area’s income at the low end or an averaging 80 percent of the area’s median income.

Even with this plan, there were still some issues. What types of households would be eligible for the new units? As part of the agreement, the top inclusionary housing level for developers was lowered from 120 percent of the area median income to 115 percent. That change came with requirement that a portion of the units created in the developments would be set aside for those earning less. Affordability levels were expanded to 40 percent as a result of these talks.

Twenty to 30 percent of all units built in these new developments would be set aside for affordable housing.

“Our work has resulted in a plan that addresses the magnitude of our city’s affordability crisis by encouraging smart, sustainable affordable housing production,” said City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito during a news conference at City Hall.

In an emailed statement, LiveOn NY Executive Director Igal Jellinek said that the debate over this housing plan opened the door to the “deep and often invisible need of 200,000 older family members, friends and neighbors living in desperate conditions.”

“LiveOn NY looks forward to working with government partners to ensure that new affordable senior housing will exist in every neighborhood throughout the city,” said Jellinek. “Ultimately, it will be the 200,000 seniors on waiting lists and waves of New Yorkers aging in their communities who will be the judge of how well we as a city did to get it right.” LiveOn NY is an organization that represents older New Yorkers and their caregivers.

MEDIA: City Council and Mayor Reach Deal on Key Housing Plan Components

By: Brigid Bergin and Jessica Gould
Tuesday, March 15, 2016
Publication & Publisher: WNYC 93.9 FM and AM 820

There have been months of rowdy protests, marathon hearings and heated negotiations. But City Council and the de Blasio administration have reached a deal on two key pieces of the mayor’s affordable housing plan. The two plans are called Mandatory Inclusionary Housing and Zoning for Quality and Affordability. Mayor de Blasio says they’re key to achieving his goal of building and preserving 200,000 units of affordable housing over the next decade. 

The Plans:

Mandatory Inclusionary Housing means that developers will be required to build affordable apartments in rezoned areas. This is a change from the current policy, where building affordable housing has been voluntary and which, critics say, hasn’t led to enough affordable apartments.

The other component is Zoning for Quality and Affordability, which will rewrite parts of the zoning code to make it easier to build housing, especially affordable housing and senior housing. To do that, the code will allow taller buildings in some areas, and reduce some parking requirements, among other things.

What Changed: 

The mayor’s mandatory housing proposal had three options for affordable apartments. Developers would have to set aside 25 percent of units for a family of three making about $46,000 a year, 30 percent for a family of three making $62,000 a year, or 30 percent for a family of three making $93,000 a year.

But council members and tenant activists argued that many New Yorkers earn much less than that. As a result, they warned current residents in some rezoned neighborhoods would not be able to afford the new apartments, and might get displaced because of gentrification spurred by all the development. The council pushed for lower-income thresholds, including a new option that would set aside 20 percent of units for families of three making about $31,000 a year.

On Zoning for Quality and Affordability, council members responded to concerns from communities about increased heights and reduced parking, tweaking the proposal to limit height increases and preserve some parking.

The administration also committed to legislation that would require landlords to prove they aren't harassing tenants. And it promised activists it would look at ways to build even more affordable apartments, with labor protections for workers.

What People Are Saying:

Mayor de Blasio called the deal a "watershed moment when we turned the tide to keep our city a place for everyone." Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito said the "intense process" produced "substantial changes from what was originally proposed."

And some of the housing advocates who expressed concerns about the plans say they're pleased with the final results. "Because of the efforts of Council members and housing groups we will now be able to an extra half a million low income New Yorkers previously not covered by the plans," said Barika Williams, with the Association for Neighborhood and Housing Development. She said advocates will continue to push for even more affordable housing for lower-income New Yorkers.

But Kathryn Wylde, president of the Partnership for New York City, a business group, said she worries the revised plans are too proscriptive. "What you're doing is narrowing the possibility for design, financing, and affordability," she said. "If the options get too narrow, you send up precluding development on many sites and reducing the number of affordable units."

What's Next:

The city council is expected to hold a hearing on March 17. A full vote is expected on March 22.

ALERT: LiveOn NY Launches Case Management Salary Parity Campaign

Printable Verison for this Alert note: acrobat format
Case Management Waitlist and Turnover Chart note: acrobat format
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Sign on to Letter Supporting Salary Parity for Case Management Campaign!

LiveOn NY LAUNCHES CASE MANAGEMENT SALARY PARITY CAMPAIGN

March 14, 2016 

$12.2 MILLION WOULD STRUCTURALLY CHANGE THE CASE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM BY RETAINING MSW LEVEL STAFF FOR CASE MANAGERS AND SUPERVISORS – IT’S TIME TO STOP THE DEVASTATING TURNOVER RATES – CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS!

IMPORTANCE OF SALARY PARITY –

• IMPACT ON STAFF RETENTION RATES – Every year there is an average of one-third turnover rate. Every two years, there’s a 50% turnover rate.
• IMPACT ON SALARIES – There is a $20,000 difference for case managers and a $17,000 difference for supervisors, even with other social services nonprofits. We are advocating for $55,000 for case managers and $65,000 for supervisors. THE STATUS QUO IS UNSUSTAINABLE LEAVING THOUSANDS OF OLDER NEW YORKERS ISOLATED AND IN DESPERATE NEED FOR SERVICES. NYC can and must act responsibly to solve this.
• IMPACT ON SERVICE DELIVERY – Lack of professionally trained MSW staff impacts capacity of service delivery to frail, homebound seniors.
• IMPACT ON LONG WAITING LISTS – High turnover rates impact lengthy waiting lists as new case managers cannot take on a full caseload right away plus staff vacancy time.  Click here to see the 2016 Case Management Waitlist chart.
• IMPACT ON A PROFESSIONALLY TRAINED AGING SERVICES WORKFORCE – Seniors are the fastest growing segment of the city’s population. A trained, professional workforce is essential to delivering services and reducing waiting lists.
• IMPACT ON STAFF TURNOVER – Salary disparity does not allow case management agencies to hire and retain MSW level staff for both case managers and supervisors.
• IMPACT ON SERVING RAPIDLY GROWING, DIVERSE SENIOR POPULATION AND SUPPORTING FAMILY CAREGIVERS – The substantial salary disparity, leaves NYC unprepared for the rapidly growing older adult population. Lack of case management does not support family caregivers working hard to care for their older parents, spouse and others.

WHAT YOU CAN DO –

• IT IS UP TO MAYOR de BLASIO TO ALLOCATE $12.2 MILLION – Funding for salary parity can only come from Mayor de Blasio and his administration. The money must be baselined in order to remain permanent in case manager and supervisor staff lines.
• CITY COUNCIL’S ROLE – City Councilmembers can advocate for Mayor de Blasio to fund salary parity during budget negotiations by making it a priority of City Council.
• WHO TO TALK TO – Talk to everyone – Mayor de Blasio and others in his administration; City Councilmembers and Borough Presidents; media and local press; social media and anyone else you can think of who could help.
• INVOLVE AGENCY BOARD OF DIRECTORS, STAFF, SENIORS, FAMILIES AND OTHERS – See who knows Mayor de Blasio and others in his administration, City Council, and other city leadership or media.
• PLAN ON ATTENDING LiveOn NY'S 21ST ANNUAL CITY ADVOCACY DAY ON WEDNESDAY MAY 11 FROM 9:00AM-1:00PM AT 250 BROADWAY AND CITY HALL.  LiveOn NY will be following up with you with more details.

LiveOn NY Will Send More Information Soon!

It is critical that you start discussing this issue with everyone you can!

For more information, please contact Bobbie Sackman, LiveOn NY, Director of Public Policy,

212-398-6565x226 or bsackman@liveon-ny.org or Andrea Cianfrani, Dep. Director of Public Policy,X233 or acianfrani@liveon-ny.org

MEDIA: Seniors Wait Years for Affordable Housing

By: Jessica Gould
Wednesday, March 9, 2016
Publication & Publisher: WNYC 93.9 FM and AM 820

Indira Prasad is just trying to find some peace. She says that's why she volunteers as a yoga teacher at Selfhelp's Innovative Senior Center in Queens, which she calls a refuge from the "dark, dank basement" where she lives. Prasad pays $508 in rent for her apartment, making it one of the few places she can afford from the $776 in income she receives from Social Security each month. But now her landlady wants to sell the house, and Prasad has to move. She's on waiting lists for public housing and subsidized senior housing, but there haven't been any openings, and she doesn't know where she'll end up.

"The waiting game is taking a toll on me," she said. 

Bobbie Sackman with the senior advocacy group LiveOn NY says this is the reality for a lot of city residents: People who struggled to get by when they worked are struggling that much more now. Sackman says one in five New York City seniors are living in poverty, and more than 100,000 pay over 50 percent of their income in rent.

"Decisions have to be made from the viewpoint of somebody who’s 70 or 80," she said. "What is their relationship with time, the time they have or the time they probably don’t have." 

Sackman's group projects there are 200,000 seniors spending an average of seven years onwait lists for affordable housing. It also found that many parking lots next to senior housing are almost totally empty. Her group says simply building more units on those parking lots would accommodate thousands of seniors. 

Mayor de Blasio says a key piece of his affordable housing plan — called Zoning for Quality and Affordability — seeks to address this problem. In order to build more apartments, the plan would make parking optional at senior housing and at other new affordable housing projects near mass transit. For senior housing that isn't as close to mass transit, the parking requirements would be reduced.

It would also allow taller buildings, permitting one or two additional stories in areas scattered throughout the city, including parts of the East Village, Upper West Side, Upper East Side, and Williamsburg.

The mayor says this is crucial to achieving his goal of building and preserving 200,000 units of affordable housing, including 10,000 specifically for seniors. 

Many senior advocates, including the AARP, have lined up behind the plan. But there are critics. 

Local leaders like City Council Member Donovan Richards are worried about what reducing parking would mean for their constituents.

"We have some of the longest travel times to Manhattan so many Queens residents actually use their cars," he said. 

Meanwhile, preservationists say taller buildings threaten the character of carefully planned communities, and they doubt whether the added heights will actually result in more affordable units.

"We’ve seen this play out in New York City before: You end up making neighborhoods less affordable not more and you end up destroying their character," said Andrew Berman, executive director of the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation.

Tenant activists worry new affordable apartments won’t be affordable enough. 

"We are concerned about how the plan will actually get to the people who need it the most," said Maritza Silva-Farrell, coordinator for the Real Affordability for All Coalition. 

Community boards and borough presidents have overwhelmingly opposed the plan. And council members are calling for changes. 

"There’s a huge need for more senior housing in the city." Richards said. "And the biggest task is to ensure that we’re doing it in a responsible fashion."

As for Prasad, she supports the mayor's proposal. She hopes it will get her off the waiting list and into a nice, new, affordable apartment. "And I can finally have a sigh of relief and I can sleep and relax," she said. 

The council is scheduled to vote on Zoning for Quality and Affordability as well as the mayor's major proposal, called Mandatory Inclusionary Housing, this month.