skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Study: Rural NY Struggling with Numerous Issues

play audio
Play

Monday, March 6, 2023   

A new study shows rural New York is struggling with declining populations and lacking employment.

The State of Rural New York examines about a decade's worth of data and rural counties experienced a population decline of 50,000 people. This was twice the rate of urban counties in the state.

Other issues rural areas are facing include aging housing stock which isn't designed for seniors or people with limited mobility.

Mike Borges - executive director of the Rural Housing Coalition of New York - said one part of the solution to revitalize rural counties begins with better funding for numerous programs, including those that allow people to age in place.

"We are advocating for more funding for Access to Home and RESTORE," said Borges, "which are two programs that allow senior citizens to stay in their homes and do repairs and make the homes more accessible to the disabled so they can stay in their communities."

He added that other solutions are providing funding to rural communities for small rental development projects and affordable workforce housing.

A 2020 report shows the Lake Placid community has an unmet need of over 1,500 workforce and affordable housing units.

Borges noted that housing is important to bringing and keeping economic opportunities in rural areas.

According to the report, rural counties have just over 2 million housing units, compared with the 6.3 million in urban counties. Between 2011 and 2020, these numbers increased, but rural counties are shown to have an 18% vacancy rate.

He said the key to getting people back in rural areas is better housing.

"If we want to reverse the population loss, particularly here in New York state," said Borges, "we need to do a better job of building more housing and preserving housing in rural communities. To reverse that decline, again, housing is going to be a number one issue to address along with economic opportunity."

One challenge Borges said he sees in accomplishing these changes is the lack of representation in New York State's government that's dedicated to rural issues.

He said he thinks reviving the Office of Rural Affairs, which developed recommendations for the elected officials on policies and plans to meet rural communities' needs, would ensure rural issues are being thoroughly addressed.



Disclosure: Rural Housing Coalition of New York contributes to our fund for reporting on Housing/Homelessness. If you would like to help support news in the public interest, click here.


get more stories like this via email
more stories
A report from the Tennessee HealthCare Campaign recommended the federal government needs to strengthen 340B drug pricing and other federal negotiation mechanisms to make needed medicines more readily available and less expensive for hospitals to purchase and administer. (Spotmatikphoto/AdobeStock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …


Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…


Nearly 13 million Americans receive health coverage through unique plans under both Medicare and Medicaid. They are known as Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …

More than six in 10 Americans favor keeping the abortion pill mifepristone available in the U.S. as a prescription drug, while over a third are opposed, according to a Gallup poll. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Colorado is working to boost the state's agricultural communities by getting more fresh, nutritious foods into school cafeterias - and a new online …

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021