A friend recently wrote on their social feed, “I wasn’t born to roll over for this shit.”
Neither were tens of millions of others, it seems. The bulwarks of active resistance to undemocratic actions are being put into place, but that is a bare minimum of what needs to be done. In the short term, it is likely not enough to prevent millions of people from being subjected to unwarranted pain and suffering; for basic rights to be eroded if not downright rescinded, and for injustices large and small to be inflicted upon those who cannot defend themselves.
In light of this, writing about affordable housing seems tangential to bigger concerns. But it is on point for those who lack safe, decent housing or at risk of being further marginalized. It is not for ourselves that we do the work that we do. The environment for building more affordable housing will no doubt be more difficult. And it is likely that those who are fixated on the recipients of government assistance programs will take an axe to things.
One housing advocate recently wrote: “affordable housing has become a full body contact sport.” So, Game On. It is up to us to both minimize the damage to our fellow citizens and to make progress as best we can.
At Columbia-Greene Habitat for Humanity, we are gearing up, not backing away. Our goal in 2025 is to build upon (pun intended) the accomplishments we’ve made over the past couple of years. In 2023, our operation adopted a new 3-year plan, which called for accelerating our ability to serve more of our population, through more homes built, greater advocacy, and an expansion of our repair and rehab programs.
In 2024, we have accomplished some major goals in each area:
We completed two 3 bedroom, 2 bath homes that are now occupied by deserving families. These houses are high-quality, super-efficient, and offer stability and affordability that cannot be provided by rentals.
We began the construction of the first of our new Rural Starter Homes, on the grounds of the NY State Capitol. Over 300 volunteers came together from across NY State to advocate and show support for affordable homeownership. They completed the framing of a 3 bedroom, 2 bath house that will serve as a template for net-zero starter home construction in our rural service areas.
This structure was then packed into a small box truck and driven 30 miles to our building site, where our team has completed about 2/3 of the construction as of this writing. The design of this home incorporates scalability and efficiency and will provide us with the ability to build these homes in panels, and make product available for meeting needs outside of the Habitat program.
Our Habitat Helping Hands program completed more than 15 projects; mostly ramps and accessibility enhancements for area seniors and mobility-challenged residents. This is mainly a volunteer effort, and allows us to continue the community-centered volunteer efforts that is the core of Habitat for Humanity’s mission.
“Everybody can be great. Because anybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve. You don’t have to know the second theory of thermodynamics in physics to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
We have an affordable housing crisis in the country, and it is particularly acute in the area of the Hudson Valley of NY that Columbia-Greene Habitat serves. This is a fact, and it is not questioned by serious people, no matter what their political point of view.
It’s not a left/right, blue/red debate: Market forces have not provided a solution. Local, state and federal housing programs and their money have not provided a solution. As a result, average wage families are leaving the region and the state.
The solution, if there is one, is for individuals to put aside these differences and come together to support the organizations who are doing the work; who are committed to supporting the people who live and work and raise their children and pay taxes here. These are your neighbors: the mechanic, the school teacher, the nurse, the waiter, your child or grandchild. They are the backbone of our communities.
We are at risk of losing them. Average wage residents cannot now compete in our housing market against the structures that communities built in a different time to limit development, or the forces of capitalism that are driving prices ever higher.
I am thankful that there is progress being made by committed community members who are doing the necessary work of advocating for and driving real change. I do not believe these voices and efforts will be silenced or silent. From my vantage, I see renewed commitment and resolve. We won’t go back.
Take stock of and enjoy the gifts you have this Thanksgiving. Be grateful for what you have.
Then let’s get back to work, building better communities, one home and one family at a time.
“When I started counting my blessings, my whole life turned around.” – Willie Nelson
P.S. - Our annual appeal is getting underway. If you’d like to support our work, please use the QR code below. We are grateful for all acts of kindness.
Keep on keepin' on, Al.