Lakeview discusses faith-based affordable housing

Faith leaders and housing advocates joined the Lakeview community on Feb. 19 to discuss solutions to Long Island’s affordable housing crisis.

The roundtable discussion, which took place at St. Paul AME Church in Lakeview, centered on the role the Faith-Based Affordable Housing Act could play in addressing housing issues.

The act was introduced by State Senator Andrew Gounardes and Assemblyman Brian Cunningham in December 2023 and carried over to the 2025-26 legislative session. It is currently in the State Senate’s Housing, Construction and Community Development Committee, and the Assembly’s Local Government Committee.

The act is designed to tackle the state’s affordable housing shortage by streamlining the approval process needed for faith leaders to build affordable housing on excess and underutilized land. If approved, 60,000 new homes would be created across New York over the next 10 years, providing housing for as many as 180,000 residents, according to New York Faith Housing, a coalition of faith-based and housing organizations that are championing the act.

Many communities could be given a boost by transforming these empty and unused parcels of land owned by houses of worship into affordable housing, faith leaders said. The bill would not rezone entire communities or change Long Island greatly. But it would allow the less than one-quarter of 1 percent of Long Island lots owned by faith organization the ability to create affordable, taxable housing options.

“The need for affordable housing is undeniable, and faith leaders across the state are ready to be part of the solution,” said Asia Thomas, director of organizing at Open New York, a non-profit organization advocating for housing development and renter protections. “Every day, New Yorkers — from teachers to firefighters to high school students — struggle with housing insecurity, yet too often, there aren’t enough champions advocating for real change in their communities.

“People are tired of waiting, tired of hearing that a solution is coming ‘someday,’” Thomas added. “The Faith-Based Affordable Housing Act is a concrete step that can create a ripple effect across New York, but only if we take action now.” 

As of February, the average price of a home in Nassau County was more than $750,000, while in Suffolk County the cost was more than $650,000, according to Zillow’s home value index. Data from the U.S. Census Bureau, shows rising rent in Nassau as of 2023. These increasing costs faced by Long Island residents reflect the larger housing crisis.

“On Long Island, we’ve seen record home prices in 2025, while rental prices still remain out of reach for many seniors and working class residents,” Derek Stein, policy director at Erase Racism and chairman of the Long Island Housing Coalition, said. “In particular, there remains significant divides between our Black and Brown communities’ ability to purchase a home.”

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development recommends that monthly housing costs should not exceed 30 percent of one’s monthly income. But on Long Island, the percentage of residents who spend more than 30 percent of their income on housing is higher than state and national averages.

Experts recognize this housing burden is unsustainable for these communities, and faith leaders said they are ready to take action.

“It is imperative that we use every tool at our disposal to promote affordable and equitable housing,” Stein said. “The Faith-Based Affordable Housing Act is one way we can do that.”

According to a recent Global Strategy Group survey, 74 percent of New Yorkers and 76 percent of Long Islanders support the bill.

“The Faith-Based Affordable Housing Act is our chance to be the change we wish to see,” said the Rev. Tristan J. Salley, senior pastor of Lakeview’s St. Paul AME Church and president of the AME Ministerial Alliance of New York.

“Long Island’s unique character can be preserved while also making room for all who contribute to its strength,” Salley said. “It will take broad support, but together, we can ensure every New Yorker has a place to call home.”

In a guest essay that appeared in Newsday on Feb. 18, Salley explained his concerns for his community. Pointing to skyrocketing housing costs, Salley has watched members of his congregation leave the community to find less costly living situations. He said he knows neighbors who work two or three jobs to cover necessities, and seniors on fixed incomes deciding whether to pay for prescription medication, food or housing.

This phenomenon also affects the younger people in the community, which concerns Doris Hicks-Newkirk, president of the Lakeview branch of the NAACP. “I have a lot of young people that have grown up in this area, and they would love to be able to stay in this area, but it’s too expensive,” she said.

Noah Burroughs, the Assemblyman for District 18, which includes Lakeview, attended the roundtable discussion and expressed support for the bill. “It takes a lot of thought and process to try and figure out how to solve this problem,” Burroughs said. “But overall, I think we’re going to need assistance from the federal government in order to rectify this situation.”

“This bill, it’s another tool, it’s another option for our communities to look at in how we can address this housing crisis,” Stein explained.

A central issue in Long Island’s affordability crisis is lack of available housing. If passed, the bill would help relieve that pressure by increasing housing availability and creating more options for residents.

However, the Faith-Based Affordable Housing Act would need to work in conjunction with other programs to increase affordability on Long Island, such as the Pro-Housing Community Program, support for first-time homebuyers, along with other assistance from the federal and state levels, officials said.

Additional reporting contributed by Kelsie Radziski.