Written By: Sam Abraham
The Long Island community is struggling with a major problem that affects a multitude of lives which is the lack of affordable housing. With inflation at a record high, the cost of living has increased substantially and finding available and affordable housing has become challenging. The cost of housing has exceeded the income growth and has caused the dream of owning a house for Long Islanders to slip away. In order to bring these issues to light, I interviewed a few members of the community and asked about the causes, solutions and the impact of the lack of affordable housing has on its community.
Long island is a beautiful and vibrant area that has many diverse communities but is facing a horrible situation with lack of affordable housing. This shortage has caused housing instability and economic burden to families from various backgrounds. The cost of living has increased in the last few years which has left residents squirming for housing that is just not available. The few residents that I spoke to believe that affordable housing should be a basic human right with one resident saying “This is affecting my livelihood, my family and I are jumping from relative house to friends’ house to another basement, when will it end?”.
Nicky Abraham a realtor on Long Island has great knowledge and insight when it comes to the availability of housing. When asked about the initiatives and programs to increase the availability of affordable housing, Nicky emphasized the efforts of nonprofit organizations collaborating with the government in order to create subsidized housing units. He believed this program needed more funding and investments to make a bigger impact due to the growing demand in housing. He also listed the causes behind the lack of affordable housing which includes restrictive zoning regulations, construction costs and an absence of incentives for developers to invest in subsidiary projects. These tax incentives can lower the costs of constructing and maintaining an affordable housing unit which would in turn attract developers in investing into these projects.
The impact of the lack of affordable housing can be seen through Subin Abraham, a local resident, who struggled to find a house for the last 2 years. Subin shared his experience in searching for houses and emphasized that the costs of housing and rent has forced them to move into their parents’ house. Subin has a wife and 2 kids and expressed that soaring prices has placed an emotional toll and has affected the overall well-being and has affected their family financially. He also expresses concern with education and how his kids are not able to have a stable learning environment. He said “my kids are not able to learn but are always forced to adapt into a new environment every time we move towns.”. He expressed the urgent need for the availability in affordable housing to allow families to be more secure.
Areas such as Central Islip have been severely impacted according Nicki Abraham. These areas have a high poverty rate and are known to have a shortage in affordable housing. “Central Islip is the one city that needs to benefit the most off of subsidized housing units and should have incentives to motivate developers in investing.” said Nicky.
Several solutions have been brought forth by the individuals interviewed. Public funding must be increased for affordable housing and incentives must be offered for developers to invest into affordable housing units. Also, zoning regulations must be revisited to create diverse housing options which can alleviate and create more opportunities for families to purchase a home. Furthermore, there needs to be a collaborative approach which includes policymakers, government officials, nonprofit organizations and the community in order to find solutions that will help increase availability in affordable housing. Residents believe that the housing crisis is not just an economic issue but rather a social justice issue and must be addressed and solved immediately.
