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Habitat for Humanity outlines local homebuilding, warns of widening affordability gap in Ulster County
Summary
Habitat for HumanityUlster affiliate Executive Director Christine Brady LaValle told the Housing & Transportation Committee that local home prices have jumped 88.9% and that Habitat fills a roughly $300,000 per-house financing gap to produce starter homes for local workers.
Christine Brady LaValle, executive director of Habitat for HumanityUlster affiliate, told the Ulster County LegislatureHousing & Transportation Committee on Aug. 6 that the county faces an acute housing-affordability crisis. "The median sale price for homes in Ulster County is up 88.9%. Our median sale price is $445,000 right now," she said, and added that many households are paying more than 30% of their income toward housing.
LaValle described Habitat's homeownership model and the financing shortfall that drives the group's work: "Commonly, family who comes to us can afford a mortgage somewhere between 150, maybe $200,000. It costs us about 500,000 to build a house, so huge gap." She said Habitat targets smaller lots, multiple-unit developments to improve efficiency, and partners with local training programs including Ulster BOCES and the Mound Academy for construction and electrical work. "For every dollar invested at Habitat, the community nets a dollar 62," she added.
Why it matters: LaValle argued that elevated housing costs push lower-income workers out of the county, affecting schools, businesses and essential services. She urged legislators to advocate for homeownership funding and explained resale restrictions and subordinate mortgages Habitat uses to keep houses affordable. Committee members thanked Habitat for the presentation and followed with technical questions about land identification, resale restrictions tied to state grants, and the agency's waiting-list criteria.
Next steps: LaValle offered to meet with town boards and said Habitat is placing additional modular homes in Port Ewen and proceeding with multiple builds in Saugerties and Kingston. The committee recorded no formal action tied to the presentation; members moved on to consider the evening's resolutions.
