Officials held a public forum at the Mount Vernon Public Library on Tuesday night as they continue to put together a plan that will keep the city in line for necessary funding with several projects – many of which include affordable housing units – that have recently, or will soon break ground.
Due to the fact that Mount Vernon receives annual federal funds from HUD, officials are required to submit a consolidated and first-year plan, as well as an analysis of impediments to fair housing that will be reviewed by federal officials every five years.
According to city officials, “Mount Vernon receives funding under the Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) program through the county of Westchester and Supportive Housing Program (SHP) funds through the Continuum of Care (CoC),” programs designed to allow access to affordable, well-maintained housing for low-income families.
Most recently, Mount Vernon officials broke ground on The Modern, a multi-use transit-oriented development that will include 80 affordable housing units. In addition, construction recently commenced on the $18 million Grace Terrace affordable housing development.
“A lot of people come to see us (about development projects), and as we’ve seen, some of the projects in Mount Vernon have been disappointing,” state Sen. Ruth Hassell-Thompson said. “This building represents something extraordinary, and the people of Mount Vernon deserve something extraordinary.”
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