Low-Income Housing Through Medicaid | NYCHA Residents Protest | de Blasio and Real Estate Players

Cuomo discusses new low-income housing-Medicaid plan. (credit: AP)

1. NY building low-cost housing under Medicaid. New York plans to create low-income housing for 5,000 Medicaid recipients with significant health care needs.The housing will provide a stable and healthier home environment for New Yorkers with severe health concerns and problems that don’t require hospitalization. [Wall Street Journal – 09/15/13]
2. California inland empire still in housing tailspin. Over the last five years, 220,000 Inland Empire homes have been seized by banks and sold out of foreclosure, according to Lender Processing Services. That is one foreclosure for every four mortgages - twice the rate for California as a whole [NYTimes – 09/13/13]
3. City leaders are in love with density; most city dwellers disagree. New York’s Mayor Michael Bloomberg is a tireless advocate for more density in the Big Apple. There’s just one problem with this brave new condensed world: most urban residents aren’t crazy about it. [The Daily Beast – 09/16/13]
4. Stubborn cycle of runaways becoming prostitutes. A joint study released in May by Covenant House and Fordham University, which interviewed nearly 200 randomly selected runaway and homeless youths in New York City over the last year, found that nearly one in four participants either had been victims of trafficking or had exchanged sex for basic needs like food and shelter. [NYTimes – 09/15/13]
5. Bill de Blasio, part-time populist. Those [campaign] backers, notably real estate players, taxi fleet owners and health care providers, are beginning to assert their expectations for the next mayor and can anticipate having their voices heard in a de Blasio administration, despite the candidate’s populist rhetoric. [Crain’s – 09/15/13]
6. A housing fix for California veterans Last week, lawmakers passed a bill that would let voters amend Proposition 12 to shift two-thirds of the bonds - none of which has been issued - to building affordable apartments for veterans, with an emphasis on projects that align rental housing with services for the homeless. [LA times – 09/15/13]
7. NYCHA tenants protest poor living conditions with Manhattan march. Tenants in some New York City Housing Authority Manhattan Complexes took their frustrations to the streets this weekend. Members of New York Communities for Change marched on Frederick Douglas Boulevard on Saturday to raise awareness about what they’re calling poor living conditions in public housing [NY1.com – 09/15/13]
8. Syracuse-area housing market sees a slow, steady sales increase. The housing recovery in Central New York may be more muted than in some other markets, but it is happening. Statewide, sales increased more than 19 percent in July and the median sale price rose more than 6 percent. For 2012, statewide sales rose 7 percent from 2011 and the median sale price increased 1.2 percent. [Syracuse.com – 09/15/13]
9. Apartments rise as shelter option in New York City. New York City, struggling to respond to surging numbers of people seeking shelter, is moving increasing numbers of homeless families into private apartments, a program that now costs $97 million a year [Wall Street Journal – 09/12/13]
10. Manhattan rents increase for the 26th straight month. Manhattan rents haven’t declined in 26 months. The long-running trend of year-over-year increases-which makes landlords grin with glee and tenants grind their teeth in frustration-continued into August, according to the latest rental market report from Douglas Elliman. [Curbed – 09/12/13]