Archive: News

(l.-r.): Jason Leifer, Dryden Town Supervisor, Martha Robertson, County Legislator and Program Oversight Chair of the CHDF, Tompkins-Cortland Habitat for Humanity Executive Director Shannon MacCarrick and President Marianne Pelletier, and future homeowners Paula and Dameon Allen.
Community Housing Development Fund (CHDF) partners, Tompkins County, the City of Ithaca, and Cornell University, gathered today to welcome the Town of Dryden as the Fund's first Associate Member.

Martha Robertson, Tompkins County Legislator (D-Dryden) and Chair of the Program Oversight Committee of the Community Housing Development Fund said, "We are pleased to welcome the Town of Dryden as the first Associate Member of the CHDF, with its commitment of $50,000 to support a future project within the town."

In thanking members of the Town Board on behalf of the CHDF partners, Robertson went on to say, "We hope Dryden's example will encourage other employers – public and private – to join this partnership and help us continue to create housing that is permanently affordable for the people of Tompkins County."

The celebration took place at 1932 Slaterville Road in Dryden, where Habitat for Humanity of Tompkins and Cortland Counties is using CHDF funds to create three permanently-affordable homes. Habitat is renovating an existing house and building two new homes that will be sold at below market prices to families earning 60% or less of the County's median income. The homes are built with a team of professionals, volunteers, and sweat equity of the future homeowners. The land where the homes are built will be held by the Habitat affiliate in their Housing Trust to ensure long term affordability for future residents.

"Affordable housing is one of the key things the Town of Dryden is trying to increase," said Town Supervisor Jason Leifer. "Dryden is growing and we need to have a broad base of affordability and a range of new homes for people to move into. We're starting out with this $50,000 investment to the fund and we're hoping to increase that in future years."

Shannon MacCarrick, Executive Director of Habitat for Humanity of Tompkins and Cortland Counties noted, "We're currently building three houses on this lot which is exciting. This is the first time we've built so many on one lot, and this is also the first rehab of an existing home. We've been beneficiaries of the Community Housing Development Fund for quite a few years now and it makes a huge impact on our ability to grow and build."

Marianne Pelletier, President of Habitat for Humanity of Tompkins and Cortland Counties, said, "The beautiful part of this moment is that so many of us all came together to take one house that was not being lived in and turn it into three tax producing properties, to build a permanent place to live for the people who live and work here."

Since the CHDF's inception in 2009, $4,669,865 has been awarded, funding 654 units of permanently affordable housing on sites across Tompkins County. On average the CHDF awards represent just 3% of total development costs for funded projects, but the awards are leveraged to help secure millions more.

Tompkins County administers the Community Housing Development Fund on behalf of the funding partners and welcomes inquiries from potentially interested contributors as well as affordable housing developers.

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