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Section 3: Report of Findings VII. Health and Safety X. Housing and Environment |
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Community residents in focus groups, community visioning, and surveys indicated their "ideal" conditions for housing and the environment. These are the conditions that they would value for themselves, their families and their community. Residents want a cleaner and greener environment with attention paid to the quality of the air, soil and water. They want Cortland history preserved in its old buildings and homes. A comprehensive county plan for commercial and farm development is desired. Other items frequently mentioned were:
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In August of 2001, $750,000 in Small Cities Funding from NYS was provided to the city of Cortland for the rehabilitation of 25 substandard Port Watson Street houses. This neighborhood is considered one of the gateways into the city of Cortland and badly in need of rehabilitation. The formulation of Cortlandville's master plan culminated with a public hearing in June of 2002. The plan deals with transportation, design and aesthetics, aquifer protection, storm water management, land use and zoning. Other towns are creating similar long-range plans. More than 50% of the housing in the city of Cortland are rental properties. This is not uncommon in college towns where students live off campus. As the population ages, more assisted housing will be required, particularly for the middle class income population. Completed this year is a new assisted living center near the polo fields on Route 13. Housing costs for most people represent their largest monthly expense. For many working poor who rent, their income from minimum wage jobs has not caught up with rental costs. For those home-owning, low-income families, the cost of upkeep is a problem. The 2000 census shows renters in the county pay 40% of their income in housing, twice the cost compared to home-owners who pay 20%. The lack of living wage jobs in Cortland County keeps safe, affordable housing out of the hands of many working poor and thwarts the goals of welfare reform. The long-term effects of poverty on this county are evident in the substantial decline of the housing stock. Over 50% of the housing was constructed more than 50 years ago. This is an important indicator of the need for home repair and improvements according to Sharon Stevans, Director of the Area Agency on Aging. Homelessness in Cortland County as tracked by the Dept. of Social Services (DSS) has ranged from a low of 36 in 1984 to a high of 473 in 1991. The average is 220 per year. Through April of 2002, 104 individuals (62 adults and 42 children) have been classified by DSS as homeless. Homeless people may be runaway youth, victims of domestic violence or natural disasters, evictees, transients, or persons recently released from prisons or rehabilitation centers. The median price of a house in the state is nearly twice that of a home in Cortland County. There has been no new public housing in the past 8 years and many people are on the waiting list for public housing for as long as 18 months. The three United Way surveys (1990, 1995 and 2000) show that adequate paying jobs and affordable housing are among the top ranked problems for the county. According to the Cortland Housing Assistance Council, the county was designated in 1991 as a Difficult Development area. The Council suggested that people and businesses would not relocate in Cortland with the housing stock in such disrepair. It also noted a particular need for short term and temporary housing for runaway and homeless teens and victims of domestic violence. The Environmental Defense Fund (www.scorecard.org) compares Cortland County to the nation with regard to toxins released to the environment; cancer and non-cancer health risks from air and water; and pollution related to animal wastes. They use EPA data to look at Cortland's cancer risks. Eighty-two percent of the air cancer risk is from mobile sources – cars, trucks and diesel emissions; 17% is from area sources. There are 3 Superfund sites in the county and 900 in the state. Two of Cortland's pose a "significant threat" as reported by the NYS Public Interest Research Group. Thirty-seven percent of the county residents live within one mile of one of the sites according to the Cortland Standard (6-5-02). By comparison, that number for the state is 23%. The County Health Department's director of Environmental Health said that the Rosen site classification will change as soon as its cleanup is completed. She said that the clean-up at the Smith Corona site is also finished. The county landfill has the capacity for 20 more years before it is filled. More recycling could extend the life of the landfill. Cortland does better than expected with the reported cases of one infectious disease linked to the environment, shigella. But for two other such diseases -- E. Coli and salmonella -- we have more cases than would be expected. |
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Cortland Counts: An Assessment of Health and Well Being in Cortland County NY The Seven Valleys Health Coalition, Inc. These five organizations make up the Cortland Community Assessment Team (CAT) Seven Valleys Health Coalition, Inc.
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