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��������������New York State Independent Redistricting Commission ��Oral testimony for Ulster County, Mid-Hudson Region

Elizabeth Lee, PhD, FNP-BC

Voter Reform Committee, Ulster Activists

August 2, 2021

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My County and Community Concerns in Ulster County

  • lack of affordable housing
  • mental health crisis in Ulster County and
  • the division of Ulster County into 4 State Senate legislative districts.

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Description of Ulster County

Total Population

178,665

0.356% 1-year decline

 

 

Median Age

44 yrs.

0.686% 1-year increase

2010

65 + yrs. Of age= about 14%

 

 

2018

65+=about 19%

Diversity

141K White (Non-Hispanic) residents (141k people)

9.85k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)

9.77k White (Hispanic) residents,

 

Median Household Income

$63,348 to $64,304, a 1.51% increase, This median income only reflects the affluent New Yorkers but if one looks at the average worker, who may only earn $13.33/hr. with over 30% of one’s income spent on housing, and rising rental rates.

 

Poverty level in Ulster County

13.8% of our population is living below the poverty.

 

2019

https://datausa.io/profile/geo/ulster-county-ny

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Lack of Affordable Housing on Ulster County’s economy

LaToya Flood,

Ruby Mae Soul Food Restaurant

Chief Executive of Mohonk Mountain House, New Paltz

Stew Meyers, who owns a software company in Kingston

Photos Credit: Sasha Maslov for the New York Times, July 23, 2021

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Consequences of Lack of Affordable Housing

  • Without affordable housing there is a loss of work force, business development, and job opportunities, which may result in a depressed economy.

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  • Without affordable housing moving for our fixed income seniors may result in isolation and loss of a social network.

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  • Without affordable housing the risk of homelessness increases.

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Mental Health Crisis in Ulster County

  • Ulster County sees an average of 30 opioid overdoses each month, a rate driven mostly by consistently higher rates since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic

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  • From June, 2020 through June, 2021 there were 457 overdoses and 59 opioid fatalities in our County (Health and HEALing Communities report June, 2021).

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  • In terms of mental health, according to the NYS Health Foundation, 37% of adult New Yorkers reported poor mental health in fall 2020; this rate is higher for Black Indigenous People of Color, younger adults, and low income individuals.
  • Mental health clients are twice as likely to be involved with the police and at least half of the incarcerated population has diagnosed/suffer with mental health problems.

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Criminal Justice Reform Task Force (CJRTF) 2021 Final Report, P. 7

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Consequences of Lack of Inpatient Mental Services in Ulster County

  • We do not have a 24 hour public transportation service to Dutchess County

  • Clients simply are often extremely challenged to get transportation to access inpatient and outpatient services and will miss follow up appointments.

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Ulster County State Senate Legislative Districts

https://www.latfor.state.ny.us/maps/?sec=2012s_color

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References

Criminal Justice Reform Task Force (CJRTF) 2021 Final Report, p. 7

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Health and HEALing Communities Study report June, 2021, issue 7.

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https://datausa.io/profile/geo/ulster-county-ny

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https://www.latfor.state.ny.us/maps/?sec=2012s_color

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Laterman, K. (2021, July 23). What happens when your waiter can’t afford rent. The New York Times. Retrieved from

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/23/nyregion/housing-labor-shortage-new-york.html?smid=em-share

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https://ulstercountyny.gov/ulster-county-cities-and-towns

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