Opinion: Congressman Riley working to ease housing crunch

To the editor:

We face many issues in upstate New York, but one crucial one is the lack of affordable housing. The housing crunch creates a whole range of problems for residents as well as the health of the local economy.

Young people are leaving the area for other parts of the U.S. because they can’t afford to rent or buy a house here. That’s leading to a major brain drain of talented and often college-educated residents. And it means an entire generation is missing out on building home-ownership equity--a key source of savings for people of all income groups.

On top of that, local companies and other employers have trouble luring people to work here―and that makes it tougher for them to stay in business, let alone expand.

That’s why I was heartened to read that our congressman, Rep. Josh Riley, backed legislation aimed at easing the housing crunch. He helped pass the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act in July, a bipartisan law that promotes new home construction by lowering costs, cutting red tape in housing programs, protecting housing in rural communities and restricting large institutional investors from buying affordable single-family homes.

The law also requires major federal agencies to coordinate environmental reviews regarding housing construction, increases housing in government Opportunity Zones, and expands a rental-assistance program.

While this isn’t going to end the housing crisis it shows that Riley is doing what he can to ease the situation. That's why I plan to vote to re-elect him in the Nov. 3 election.

Sincerely,

Michael H. Gelfand

Cairo, NY

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The views expressed in letters to the editor are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Porcupine Soup.

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