KINGSTON – The Ulster County Legislature has approved County Executive Jen Metzger’s proposed Housing Action Fund and seed it with $15 million from the county’s $100 million budget surplus. The vote came during Tuesday night’s monthly session.
The new fund will support equitable and sustainable community development through the construction, development, revitalization, and preservation of affordable, workforce, and supportive housing.
In exchange for the investment from the fund, it will require the creation of healthy, energy-efficient, and climate-responsible housing units for households making up to 80 percent of the county’s area median income with an emphasis on housing that serves the county’s most vulnerable populations.
“The Housing Action Fund will catalyze the development of the housing we need and that people can afford, and is the most direct solution to addressing the housing crisis,” said Metzger.
County Legislator Abe Uchitelle said approval of the fund “marks the single greatest step our county has taken towards the goal of ensuring every resident has an affordable place to call home.”
Kingston Mayor Steven Noble said the housing crisis “demands a regional response, and we stand ready to work with the county in any way to realize more affordable housing options.”
The new fund is a “bold move that will provide relief for the many Hudson Valley residents who cannot afford their rent or even find a place to live,” said Sparrow Tobin, president of the Hudson Valley Area Labor Federation. “We stand solidly in support of this new policy that will benefit working people.”
