The Wayne County Economic Development and Planning department is continuing to evaluate and assist in the provision and preservation of affordable housing options across the County. As part of this ongoing effort, they have been offering free online educational workshops for local landlords on Tuesdays in September. The concluding event will be an in-person Rental Housing Panel discussion on Tuesday, October 5th at 5 p.m. at the Newark Kountry club meeting room, 2 Country Club Drive in the Village of Newark. Local and regional landlords, property developers or managers, as well as non-profit housing providers, housing assistance program administrators, rental industry professionals, and local officials are welcome to attend.
The event is being hosted by Wayne County Economic Development and Planning and co-sponsored by the Finger Lakes Landlord Association (FLLA). There will be a panel of industry professionals representing different subsections and covering issues such as affordable housing programs, landlord-tenant law, housing assistance, rental property development and management, and the role of government in rental housing. The event is free but RSVP requested via online registration or email to [email protected].
“Affordable housing is a topic of concern in communities across the country,” said Brian Pincelli, Dept. Director. “By educating and working with local landlords we can identify issues and work to bring resources to the table to assure Wayne County residents and families have access to quality housing options.”
The Finger Lakes Landlord Association (FLLA), a regional non-profit membership organization that was started by a small group of Wayne County landlords, has 178 members in the Finger Lakes region representing over 3,000 rental units. Steve Austin, a Wayne County landlord and FLLA board member said, “Local property owners are benefiting from the workshop sessions that cover all the major aspects of renting in-depth, and we look forward to a robust panel conversation about the future of the rental industry in Wayne County and in the region.”
These programs are made possible through the New York State Preservation Opportunity Program (NYS-POP), authorized by Attorney General Letitia James and managed through Enterprise Community Partners. Overall, this is a $12 million program created to support local housing agencies and authorities outside of New York City to develop strategic approaches to preserving existing affordable housing portfolios. Affordable housing is a term defined by federal housing standards as housing in which the occupant is paying no more than 30 percent of gross income for housing costs, including utilities. This definition is applied most commonly in reference to home ownership, but is also applied when referring to rentals.
Through NYS-POP, Wayne County recently completed an Affordable Housing Needs Assessment which identified a need for more affordable rental units. According to the U.S. Census, Wayne County has approximately 1,500 affordable rental units, which is based on a median gross rent of $742 per month and median annual gross income for renters of $27,094.
For more information on registering for these workshops, contact the Wayne County Economic Development and Planning Dept. at 315-946-5919 or visit web.co.wayne.ny.us/428/Housing.
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