Following the speech, Juanita Lewis, executive director of the grassroots group, Community Voices Heard, said the county had failed to address the need for what it calls “deeply affordable housing” — for those earning up to 30% of the area median income, which is $44,000 for a family of four.
“An increasing number of families are spending half or more of their income on rent or mortgage payments, and the County hasn’t implemented any kind of plan to stabilize costs and grow the stock of truly affordable housing,” she said. “Real housing affordability should be a top priority of County Executive Latimer. But instead, families in Westchester have been left behind once again.”