The City of Newburgh is facing a housing crisis the likes of which haven’t been seen before. Hundreds of families and single people have faced eviction in Newburgh since the start of 2023. Rents continue to increase while wages are stagnant, and predatory landlords and investment groups seek to displace whole blocks within the City. While the state legislature and Governor Hochul continue to play politics with people’s lives, tangible solutions are being offered by local non-profits that have the experience to help the most vulnerable of Newburgh. One solution to the housing crisis is to build low-income housing for those experiencing homelessness and those in danger of being evicted. 

The Newburgh Ministry has served the City of Newburgh’s poor and homeless for over 40 years. Founded by five Catholic nuns, the Ministry has grown to include an emergency homeless shelter, literacy programs for young people and financial literacy for working-class people. The Ministry is currently proposing building a 50-unit low-income housing project that would serve folks who are homeless, veterans, young adults aging out of foster care and the mentally ill. The project has been in development for several years and has the support of the Newburgh City Council, county and state officials, churches and local labor unions. Ensuring people are not sleeping on the street is both a morally and fiscally sound approach. Placing individuals in stable, clean and supportive housing with wrap-around services is known as the housing first model, and has been proven effective in other cities. 

There are those in the community who seek to sow division and call the poor “criminals” simply for existing. It is essential to keep the course and build this project so the most vulnerable in Newburgh will have a place to stay. We must construct and provide low-cost housing that is clean and safe for human beings.