A new study released today by Westchester Residential Opportunities (WRO) found that while inroads were made over the past six years, housing discrmination still exists in the lower Hudson Valley. 

In 2005, WRO says 46.5% of tests conducted found discrimination in rental housing in Westchester. In the current round of testing, the percentage was down to 17.54%. Discrimination in Rockland was 34.6% and it was 14.3 percent in Putnam County. 

The findings were released at a news conference hosted by Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino in White Plains.

State and local lawmakers were on hand in Peekskill today to take the wraps off a newly completed affordable senior-housing complex over looking the Hudson River.

Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino was joined by several Westchester County Legislators as well as Deputy Peekskill Mayor Don Bennett, Assemblywoman Sandy Galef, Greg Watson, the Regional Director of the NYS Division of  Housing and Community Renewal, and officials with Conifer Realty LLC, which was responsible for construction and design of the facility. It features one and two bedroom units. Rent is about $800 a month for one bedroom apartments and $900 for two bedrooms.

With Westchester County looking for for ways to implement plans to build affordable housing units in predominantly white neighborhoods in order to comply with a housing desegregation agreement with the Department of Housing and Urban Development, two Westchester County Legislators are proposing a law that would convert accessory apartments into affordable housing.

The proposed law is being sponsored by Legislators William Burton of Ossining and Peter Harckham of Katonah.

Federal Housing Monitor James Johnson is once again giving Westchester County's Affordable Housing Plan the thumbs down. Johnson is now giving the County until August 9 to come up with a new set of revisions to the housing implementation plan.

The move comes just months after the County's second implementation plan submitted was rejected.In his latest comments, Johnson said the County failed to develop long term benchmarks and showed, "A lack of creativity" in how it plans to encourage municipalities to comply with the mandatory low income housing requirements.

State Senator Andrea Stewart-Cousins is applauding this week's decision by the Westchester Rent Gudelines Board not to increase rents on regulated apartments with one and two year leases.

Stewart-Cousins says, "I applaud the Board for this decision which comes as welcome relief to the individuals and famlies living in the approximately 30,000 rental units who faced the possibility of being priced out of their homes."

For the second time in more than three decades, the Board decided to keep rents at the same level as the previous year.

Stewart-Cousins says she "Urges the Rent Guidelines Board to remain steadfast in their resolve to ensure that, especially now, more affordable housing remains affordable."