CONNECT Housing Show
HEADLINE #1-pkg
COMING UP NEXT ON CONNECT.
KENNEDY SQUARE- *CLOSED* BUT NOT VACANT. AND WE’LL TELL YOU WHY THERE’S A GOOD CHANCE ARMED GUARDS COULD SOON BE SURROUNDING THAT APARTMENT COMPLEX.
AND. WE REVIEW THE CONFLICT BETWEEN S-U STUDENTS AND THEIR NEIGHBORS.
PLUS- A PLACE TO CALL HOME. HOW SOME HOMELESS VETERANS IN SYRACUSE ARE GETTING A SECOND CHANCE.
THESE STORIES AND MORE. NOW ON CONNECT!
Welcome-rdr
HELLO AND WELCOME TO CONNECT. I’M FAITH ABUBEY.
I’M PHIL TENSER. HOUSING IS OUR FOCUS ON THIS EDITION OF OUR PROGRAM
FORECLOSURES AND TALKS OF RECESSION HAVE DOMINATED THE NEWS. WHAT DOES ALL THAT REALLY MEAN FOR CENTRAL NEW YORKERS?
WE’LL BE JOINED BY AN ECONOMIST AND A REALTOR TO FIND OUT THE IMPACT OF THESE ISSUES.
Kennedy Square-intro
FIRST, LET’S TAKE A LOOK BACK AT LAST OCTOBER. PEOPLE IN AN APARTMENT COMPLEX ON EAST FAYETTE STREET IN SYRACUSE WERE TOLD THEY HAD THREE MONTHS TO LEAVE THE PROPERTY. CONNECT’S CYNTHIA SCHWEIGERT REPORTED ON THE FAMILIES IN THE KENNEDY SQUARE HIGH-RISE WHO WERE VERY UPSET ABOUT LOSING THEIR HOMES.
Kennedy Square-pkg
“It makes me feel very sad, very depressed, but anything that happens with Kennedy Square that’s bad doesn’t surprise me.”
track 1
That’s Cheyanne Dawson. She’s lived in the Kennedy Square High rise for 3 years. She’s worried about finding a new apartment. Winn Management and New York State are closing the Kennedy Square Apartment Complex. People who live in the apartments have 90 days to move. Dawson says it’s not enough time.
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“I think they should give us more than 90 days.that’s awful” “A lot of people will be homeless, they will sleep in the Salvation Army.wherever they can find a place to sleep in.”
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Lucy Johnson is President of the Kennedy Square Tenant’s association. She’s lived in the same apartment for over 30 years. She says living there now isn’t like it used to be.
CG:ID super\Lucy Johnson\Tenant’s Association
“We’re starting to see mice and roaches.it doesn’t matter how clean we are or what we do.”.
track 3
Dawson agrees, she says maintenance has been bad. “Last winter my pipes burst and water leaked from the 8th floor to the 1st floor, so they cut off the water to the whole building for several days.”
CG:ID super\Cynthia Schweigert\CONNECT
“Winn Management’s regional vice president Alan Regan says they did the best they could to maintain the apartments with the money they have available.”
-“This past Tuesday they were supposed to come and check for rodents, when they didn’t come around I said ‘Gee I wonder why they forgot.’ They were getting ready to cook up this letter. -“the tenants have been forgotten, these people have to have homes, they have to be remembered.”.
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Regan says people will be able to move into the Maple Ridge apartments. But the complex won’t be built before the people have to move.
“I can’t imagine not being in Kennedy Square.I dunno it’s just a part of me.”
TAKE SOT
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Dawson is disabled, she is confined to a wheelchair. She hopes she can find a handicapped accessible apartment.
“Well I guess I’ll say a few prayers.”
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I was at Dawson’s apartment on October 24 when she found the letter wedged between the door. After she read it, she couldn’t believe she only had 90 days.
“I almost had a stroke just now, I almost had a heart attack.”.
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Dawson also says if she could talk to a manager of the apartments, she wouldn’t hold back.
.”I would slap her in the face.I would probably go to jail.”
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The tenants wouldn’t let us walk around their apartments with a camera. They said they didn’t want us to see what it looked like. Dawson says the managers didn’t just stop caring about the buildings, they stopped caring about the people.
“They tried to take our dignity, they tried to take everything, they don’t care anymore.”
Kennedy Square-update
SINCE WE FIRST BROUGHT YOU THIS REPORT, MOST OF THE KENNEDY SQUARE FAMILIES HAVE MOVED OUT. NOW THE CITY SAYS IT’S CONCERNED ABOUT THE SAFETY OF THE PEOPLE THAT ARE STILL THERE. THE POST STANDARD SAYS THE OWNER OF THE APARTMENT COMPLEX, EMPIRE STATE DEVELOPMENT, IS LOOKING INTO HIRING *ARMED GUARDS* TO PATROL KENNEDY SQUARE UNTIL IT’S REDEVELOPED.
Kennedy Square-tagtoss
THE PEOPLE OF KENNEDY SQUARE ARE NOT THE ONLY ONES WHO HAVE HAD TO MOVE OUT OF THEIR HOMES. THE NATION IS EXPERIENCING AN INCREASE IN FORECLOSURES.
Foreclosure-vo
THE LONG PROCESS OF FORECLOSURE BEGINS WHEN BORROWERS CANNOT PAY OFF THEIR MORTGAGE BILL. IN THE END, HOMEOWNERS COULD LOSE THEIR PROPERTY.
ACCORDING TO THE ASSOCIATED PRESS, THE NUMBER OF HOMES THAT WENT INTO SOME STAGE OF FORECLOSURE WENT UP SEVENTY-NINE PERCENT LAST YEAR. THAT’S A RECORD LEVEL.
MANY OF THOSE FORECLOSURES ARE RELATED TO SUB-PRIME LOANS. THEY ARE A RISKY TYPE OF MONEY LENDING, THAT – OVER TIME – CHARGES HIGH RATES OF INTERESTS TO BORROWERS WITH LOWER CREDIT RATINGS.
THE GOOD NEWS FOR OUR AREA IS THAT RATES OF FORECLOSURE *HERE* FALL JUST BELOW THE NATIONAL AVERAGE. THE FEDERAL RESERVE BANK OF NEW YORK SAYS SINCE THIS AREA DID NOT HAVE AS MUCH OF A HOUSING BOOM, THE AMOUNT OF DANGEROUS LOANS AND FORECLOSURES STAYED LOWER.
Economist Interview-intro
IN HIS LAST STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS ON JANUARY 24TH, PRESIDENT BUSH REFFERED TO THE ECONOMY SIX TIMES. THE NEWS IS.THE AMERICAN ECONOMY IS GOING THROUGH A PERIOD OF UNCERTAINTY. WITH ME IS PROF. DON DUTKOWSKY, AN ECONOMICS PROFESSOR AT S.U. TO TALK ABOUT THIS.
-RECESSION FEARS: EXPLANATION AND INDIVIDUAL EFFECTS
-STIMULUS PLAN: TAKING ADVIL WHEN YOU NEED A ROOT CANAL
-“WASTEFUL/BLOATED PROGRAMS: 18 BILLION OF TAXPAYERS MONEY
-BRING IT BACK HOME: CNY ECONOMY
-SPITZER SOT: REACTION
OUT: THE NATIONAL AVERAGE KEEPS RISING, BUT HOPEFULLY UPSTATE NEW YORK WILL STAY BELOW THAT TREND. PROFESSOR DUTKOWSKY, WE APPRECIATE YOUR THOUGHTS.
Economist Interview-SOT
LETS TAKE A LOOK AT GOVERNOR SPITZER’S STATE OF UPSTATE ADDRESS, WHERE HE SPOKE ABOUT HOUSING IN OUR AREA.
“Another example of a strategic housing investment can be found on the Near West Side of Syracuse, a project that has long been supported by Assemblyman Bill Magnarelli, where we are not only building low-income housing and lofts for the city’s growing community of artists; we are connecting it to the jobs, shopping, recreation, education and cultural facilities that form the building blocks of a sustainable community.”
THE GOVERNOR IS PROPOSING ONE-HUNDRED-MILLION DOLLARS GO TO PROGRAMS LIKE THE ONE HE MENTIONED ON THE WEST-SIDE. WHAT DOES THAT AMOUNT OF DOLLARS MEAN TO THE HOUSING MARKET HERE, DON?
Economist Interview-live
Tease 1-rdr
WHEN CONNECT CONTINUES.
WE’LL BRING YOU THE STORY OF A LOCAL ORGANIZATION TAKING THE HOUSING PROBLEM IN SYRACUSE ONE FAMILY AT A TIME.
BREAK 1
Fade to Black for Commercial
Welcome Back-rdr
THE WAY THINGS ARE THESE DAYS IT’S HARD ENOUGH TO OWN AND MAINTAIN A HOME.
WITH HOUSING AND ECONOMIC ISSUES ACROSS THE U-S. IT’S EVEN MORE DIFFICULT IF YOU’RE A LOWER OR EVEN MIDDLE INCOME FAMILY.
JUBILEE HOMES IS AN ORGANIZATION LOOKING TO EASE THE BURDEN. LAST FALL CONNECT’S SABINA KURIAKOSE REPORTED ON ONE FAMILY’S STORY.
Jubilee Homes-pkg
TAKE SOT
Track 1:11
CG:ID super\Sabina Kuriakose\CONNECT
At 28 years old, Tia Ferguson never planned on settling down in Syracuse. Her mind was set on moving down south–but all that changed when her father died.
TAKE SOT
CG:ID super\Tia Ferguson\Jubilee Homes Homeowner
“The biggest obstacle for me is taking on the responsibility of my 14 and 15 year old brother and sister. Honestly, it wasn’t even until they came to live with me that I actually considered on even owing my own home.”
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Tia has a two year old daughter of her own, and says she wanted to give her family a sense of stability by owing a home.
“Honestly, they were like back and forth between me and maybe another family member. It wasn’t until I actually got in here that we all came here together.”
TAKE SOT
Track 3: 15
Tia works for Jubilee Homes–a non-profit community and housing development agency. Jubilee builds homes for low to middle income people on Syracuse’s Southwest side. Tia says she turned to Jubilee for help after seeing what it could do for other people.
“Actually, me and the housing coordinator at Jubilee Homes, we sat down and we figured out all of my bills, you know, how long will it take me to pay them off. And she basically just broke it down to me that, you know, Tia you can do this. You know, and she.made me feel very very good at the end of the day by just letting me know it’s possible.”
TAKE SOT
“You see a lot of pretty houses. The lawns are well-maintained. That makes people want to move in this area. And that’s probably why my father and my family stayed in the area, because we’ve seen it changing.”
“I believe that if you live in a nice house, and you see that, you know, the other people around you are living in nice houses and maintaining their lawns.that is going to make you want to maintain your yard.”
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Several homes on Hudson street–where Tia lives–are Jubilee homes. She says neighborhood is a known gang area, but she and her neighbors don’t tolerate gang violence–if they see gangs hanging out, Tia says she and her neighbors call the police or bring their kids inside.
“This house wasn’t originally built for Tia, but through the lease to purchase program, she’ll be able to own it within a year.”
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Tia says her mortgage payments, between 500 and 600 dollars a month, are not much more than her old rent for a one bedroom apartment on the Northside. And, she says, it feels good to know where her money is going.
TAKE SOT
CG:ID super\Tia Ferguson\Jubilee Homes Homeowner
“It’s mine. It’s mine. And being able to, you know, paint. If I wanted my living room purple, I can paint my living room purple.”
SU Neighborhood Connection-toss
THAT REPORT WAS FILED BY SABINA KURIAKOSE AND NOW WE TRANSITION FROM HOMEOWNERS TO RENTERS. DURING THEIR COLLEGE CAREERS MANY S-U STUDENTS WILL MOVE *OFF* THE HILL AND *INTO* NEIGHBORING COMMUNITIES. LAST SPRING, CONNECT’S REPORTER MONICA HERNANDEZ FOUND OUT NOT EVERYONE IS HAPPY WITH THE TRANSITION.
SU Neighborhood Connection-pkg
SOT
“You compare this to living in a dorm or even to living in South Campus. There’s really no comparison.”
Track 1
And a growing number of University students are opting to live off campus. But that growth is bringing increases in problems like trash, noise, and parking violations.and some say that’s discouraging families from living in the University area.
SOT
“When they’re out on the street they’re yelling and shouting and screaming and drinking and throwing bottles and they keep us up. They keep my four-year old daughter up.”
SOT
“I’ve had a party here. It was a lot of fun. We definitely had more garbage that week, you know, so we had a ton of cans to get rid of.um.but over all I don’t think it was a big problem to the house. There was no noise violation. We didn’t bother the neighbors, and we cleaned it up ourselves the next day.”
SOT
“I find all the noise, you know, and the uh.and the guns.actually increase crime in the neighborhood. Annoying and alarming. I’m thinking about moving to the suburbs.”
Track 2
That’s why the South East University Neighborhood Association is proposing a change in current legislation. The organization says the growing number of students in the area is the real problem and the group wants to bring the number of unrelated people who can live together down from five to three.
SOT
“If we can get some movement somewhere whether it be enforcement, whether it be reducing the amount of people from five to three, five to four, it basically is create.we’re wanting to create a better area where to live.”
Track 3
In fact, S-U spokesperson Kevin Morrow says the University doesn’t want the ordinance to change.
SOT
“You have many people who live in multi-family homes, people who live in apartment buildings, you have people who have very modest means.this could very much adversely affect them.”
SOT
“Well it would have a very big impact on my life. I wouldn’t be able to live here – that’s for sure.”
Realtor Interview-intro
WHETHER RENTING OR OWNING A HOME, IT APPEARS THE SYRACUSE MARKET IS UNIQUE. JOINING US IS CHRIS TZETZIS. HE’S A REALTOR WITH THE GALLINGER REALTY U-S-A OFFICE IN MANLIUS AND HE’S BEEN SELLING HOMES IN CENTRAL NEW YORK FOR MORE THAN 8 YEARS.
CHRIS, RECENTLY THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS PICKED SYRACUSE AS AN EXAMPLE OF A MARKET THAT IS BUCKING THE NATIONAL TREND OF FALLING HOME PRICES. HAVING WORKED HERE FOR A LONG TIME, HOW WOULD YOU EXPLAIN THAT?
2. SYRACUSE MARKET STABLE?
3. WHO BUYS HOUSES HERE? WHERE?
4. SPITZER’S HOUSING INITIATIVE, WEST SIDE POISED?
Realtor Interview-live
Tease 2-rdr
COMING UP NEXT ON CONNECT.
A PROGRAM WITH A NEW *HOUSING VISION* FOR VETERANS IN SYRCAUSE.
BREAK 2
Fade to Black for Commercial
Welcome Ba…-rdr
SINCE AUGUST, A PROGRAM CALLED HOUSING VISIONS HAS BEEN GIVING HOMELESS VETERANS IN SYRACUSE A SECOND CHANCE.
THIS PAST FALL, CONNECT’S WESTBROOK SHORTELL SHOWED US HOW MUCH IT MEANS TO HAVE A ROOF OVER YOUR HEAD.
Veteran Housing-pkg
Track 1
A classified ad in the paper might read something like this: Spacious one bedroom apartment, hard wood floors, full kitchen and handicap accessible. But you wont ever find these apartments in the paper because these houses are for homeless veterans. Frank Ernenwein , who heads the housing program says this just the program that some veterans need.
every individual wants to get to the point where they’re self sufficient and independent. A big part of that, like all of us is obtaining good quality housing
Track 2
Such is the case for Chris Jones. Jones served in the Coast guard during the seventies. He’s already overcome battles with his weight but the battle he faced
a year and a half ago was his toughest battle yet.
track 3
.MOVE CLOSER TO HIS KIDS IN NORTH CAROLINA, WESTBROOK SHORTELL REPORTING FOR CONNECT.
Goodbye-rdr
THERE IS NOTHING AS IMPORTANT AS HAVING A PLACE TO CALL HOME.
AS SOME NEW PEOPLE ARE MAKING THEIR HOMES HERE IN C-N-Y, OTHERS STRUGGLE TO STAY IN THEIRS. WE’LL STAY CONNECTED TO THIS ISSUE. I’M PHIL TENSER. THANKS FOR JOINING US.
AND I’M FAITH ABUBEY. SEE YOU NEXT TIME, ON CONNECT.
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