SPONSORED: New Volunteer Trainings from the Tri-Town Coalition Help Dutchess County Residents Advocate for Affordable Housing
This fall, 30 new local volunteers will receive training about the housing crisis in northeastern Dutchess County.
When it comes to housing, two stories of the Hudson Valley and Berkshires have emerged over the last year. One is the trials and tribulations of buyers waging bidding wars over cute country escapes, most of which are second homes. The other is a region increasingly devoid of housing opportunities for low and moderate-income residents—the hourly workers, farmers, seniors, young families, immigrants, retirees who make up the majority of its communities.
In Dutchess County, the story is no different. According to Hudson River Housing (HRH), the Poughkeepsie-based affordable housing nonprofit, among rural towns in the northeastern part of the county, migration of wealthier households from urban areas, aging housing stock, lack of infrastructure to support housing development, and the gap between wages and housing costs have become a critical issue. According to data from its Emergency Response Fund, over the past 12 months, over 1,100 households in the county have requested emergency assistance in order to sustain their housing.
While the pressures continue to mount, over the past two years, community members in Amenia, Millerton, and Pine Plains have been working to balance the equation on a local level. In 2019, after HRH collected data that demonstrated the need for 1,300 additional housing units in the area just to lower the current population’s housing costs to 30 percent of their income, the organization banded together with the North East Community Center to form the Tri-Town Coalition (TTC).
Made up of local residents, the sponsor organizations, and local elected officials, the TTC has been working to advocate for an equitable balance of housing options for local residents and those interested in moving to the area. Every month, members of the TTC meet to identify local housing priorities, create action items, and engage in discussion.
Beginning this fall, the TTC will be offering a series of trainings to 30 new local volunteers about the housing crisis in northeastern Dutchess county, and what they and other residents can do about it. Volunteers will receive training in the state of regional housing needs, community leadership, and affordable housing advocacy as peer-to-peer housing ambassadors. The training will also include building awareness of housing affordability needs through a public messaging campaign and TTC’s third region-wide community conversation on housing. “For our communities to really thrive, we need to make them more livable,” said the TTC in a statement. “TTC is fighting for that, and we hope others will join us.”
If you’re interested in participating in the TTC’s fall trainings, you can contact Elizabeth Druback-Celaya at ecelaya@hudsonriverhousing.org or call (845) 454-5176. Find more information on the Tri-Town Coalition here.
