We all know that there is a big affordable housing shortage in Westchester. Many volunteer fire departments and volunteer ambulance corps are facing difficult times attracting and keeping their volunteers.
I recently read some stories about communities in Connecticut and around the state that offer free housing at ambulance corp/fire departments to students in exchange for volunteer work.
If an empty space at a volunteer fire or ambulance corp could be converted into an affordable housing unit and offered to a college student in exchange for a commitment to answer calls at night, weekends and when they are not in school we could create a win-win opportunity. Affordable housing. This initiative could help the volunteer companies survive without having to pay first responders for their efforts. I’m interested in hearing residents thoughts on this suggestion. This is the link to a story about one community that has initiated this program.
I think that if any volunteer departments in the river villages are interested -we could reach out to state officials and try obtaining grants to offset some of the costs of converting an empty space into an affordable housing opportunity.
https://wnyt.com/top-stories/fire-ems-service-offers-free-housing-to-recruit-college-students/
PAUL FEINER
Greenburgh Town Supervisor
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