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Working Families - Potential Community Strategies or Initiatives

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Initiatives for Goal 1:
Families in Erie County will have safe, affordable housing (as defined by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development)
  1. Pass affordable housing policy for adaptive reuse projects receiving tax incentives at the Erie County Industrial Development Agency (ECIDA)
  2. Partner with the Buffalo Erie Niagara Land Improvement Corporation (BENLIC) on the rehabilitation of more owner-occupied affordable housing properties
  3. Increase federal Home Investment Partnership (HOME) funding from HUD to continue to build new units of affordable rental housing
  4. Educate municipal Planning Boards on strategies to increase affordable housing in their municipalities
  5. Explore the possibility of creating Limited Equity Cooperatives (LEC) to fund low interest mortgages and property tax reductions for the purpose of selling units in apartment buildings to low income households
  6. Explore increased weatherization opportunities for families using HEAP
  7. Remediate lead hazards in homes through the Department of Environment and Planning’s Housing Rehabilitation Program in Erie County’s Community Development Consortium areas and through the Erie County Health Department in the City of Buffalo.

Initiatives for Goal 2:

Families in Erie County will have greater financial securityUsing Erie County GIS create a PIVOT Resource Map to identify clusters of employers participating in the PIVOT program and their proximity to both transportation lines and childcare centers
  1. Work with the Buffalo Niagara Partnership and its members on “opt out” and other retirement saving initiatives for workers
  2. Explore strategies to grow the number of employers in Erie County offering paid sick leave to their low and moderate income employees
  3. Establish a Re-entry HUB or one-stop-shop for recently incarcerated individuals to find employment, housing, job training, and more
  4. Establish an Erie County Live Well Mobile Services Van to better connect residents throughout the county to county services

Initiatives for Goal 3:

Families in Erie County will have access to quality, affordable childcare
  1. Increase awareness of available daycare subsidy programs (DSS low income subsidy, WDI).
  2. Collaborate with Child Care Resource Network and develop a checklist – easy to follow, step by step guide or requirements and timeline for becoming a childcare provider.
  3. Incentivize participation of Erie County childcare providers in QUALITYstarsNY (NY’s childcare Quality Rating and Improvement System)
  4. Work with Erie County GIS to plot existing child care centers throughout the county and then work with employers, healthcare providers, and schools to share information about the location of quality childcare and available options