Housing prices in Glen Cove have soared in recent years, making it difficult for residents, especially seniors, to buy or rent a home in the city. Many who have been concerned about what they describe as a housing crisis were provided some clarity at the Glen Cove Housing Summit on Oct. 29, at the Glen Cove Senior Center.
There, representatives of the Glen Cove Age-Friendly Center of Excellence and the Long Island Housing Coalition gave attendees an update on the work being done to address the issue, along with a panel including Assemblyman Chuck Levine; Laura Harding, president of ERASE Racism; Sharon Mullon, fair housing coordinator of the Long Island Housing Partnership; Ian Wilder, executive director of the Long Island Housing Service; Jeanmarie Buffet, senior vice president of housing and development at Community Development Long Island; and Ann Fangmann, executive director of the Glen Cove Community Development Agency.
Darek Stein, a senior housing policy associate with ERASE Racism, an organization that highlights disparities in housing opportunities, moderated the discussion, and began it with some background about housing in Glen Cove.
“Since 2016, the average home amount has gone up 46 percent in Glen Cove,” Stein said. “The current average total is about $743,000, with the median cost of rent being around $3,000. This issue isn’t unique to Glen Cove, per se, but these numbers show the importance of addressing these issues and taking the steps that need to be done, and what I think can be done to fix it.”
Member of the panel answered attendees’ questions, and touched on what their organizations are trying to do to help with housing issues in Glen Cove.
“One of the things that ERASE Racism advocates for is the changing to zoning that allows for accessory dwelling units for seniors who own their homes,” Harding said. “This allows for seniors and other homeowners to stay in their homes, and be able to afford to live in their homes.”
Mullon added that the Long Island Housing Partnership is working with towns in Suffolk County to start an Accessory Dwelling Unity program, aimed at supporting low- to middle-income homeowners.
“The ADU program as it stands is an offer to a homeowner for $125,000 maximum to either bring an apartment they have up to code or build something new,” Mullon explained. “We are currently working with four towns in Suffolk County on this program.”
Fangmann spoke about efforts to deal with the issue in Glen Cove. “I am going to start out and say that housing is one of Glen Cove’s strengths,” she said. “We have the Samuel Pierce apartments, which are located right next door, and are low-income rental buildings with 90 to 95 percent of residents being seniors. We also have Garvies Point, which was 56 acres of brownfield and Superfund property which is now being reconstructed, with 600 of the 1,100 units finished, as well as 28 units of amenities for each living space.”
Carol Waldman, the founder of Age-Friendly Glen Cove, addressed the panel about her experiences working with seniors who have been struggling to afford housing.
“I’ve listened to questions and concerns from thousands of seniors and hundreds of their family members who struggle with housing issues, and not a week goes by where we are not having these difficult conversations, ” Waldman said. “Nobody should have to be in that desperate of a situation when it comes to housing, especially not the elderly.”
“This is a multifaceted issue,” Fangmann said. “You have policy issues, actual workers to build the new housing needed, existing housing inventory and how we grow that inventory, making landlords be good landlords and marketing conditions right now. There is no simple answer, and changes need to be made on almost every single level.”
