July 15, 2008
GOVERNOR PATERSON ANNOUNCES LAUNCH OF STATEWIDE AFFORDABLE HOUSING PUBLIC AWARENESS CAMPAIGN FEATURING EDWARD NORTON, TIKI BARBER AND MO VAUGHN
Television and Radio PSAs to Air across the State for Four Weeks
Governor David A. Paterson and Division of Housing & Community Renewal (DHCR) Commissioner Deborah VanAmerongen today announced a statewide Public Service Announcement (PSA) campaign to promote the continued development of affordable housing in communities throughout New York State. The PSAs are part of a larger campaign – Affordable Housing Works – which touts attractive and high quality affordable housing developments across New York State.
The PSAs began airing yesterday, July 14, on broadcast television stations and radio stations throughout the state. The ads which will run for four weeks feature filmmaker and green affordable housing advocate Edward Norton, former NFL football player and community developer Tiki Barber and former Major League baseball player and affordable housing developer Mo Vaughn. Additional ads will run in Spanish.
“Affordable housing is critical for the stability of our communities. It makes our communities stronger, businesses healthier and neighborhoods more diverse by providing our hard working families and senior citizens with viable housing options,” said Governor Paterson. “It is an important and successful economic development tool which is why my administration made an historic commitment to housing in this year’s budget.”
“I am particularly pleased that Edward Norton, Tiki Barber and Mo Vaughn donated their time and talent to this important campaign. I commend their efforts not only for helping to spread the word that affordable housing is critical for long term urban planning but also for their own efforts to develop affordable and green homes for our neighbors,” added Governor Paterson.
Commissioner VanAmerongen said, “Governor Paterson’s commitment to affordable housing is making a difference in New York. Under the governor’s leadership, DHCR is working with our community partners to rebuild neighborhoods. Today’s affordable housing is attractive, quality real estate. It fits into communities, and it is critical to the vibrancy of neighborhoods. That is the message we want to convey through this campaign so that all New York residents can see the far-reaching positive impact of providing quality homes for those who need them.”
Tiki Barber said, "A safe, decent place to live is critical to a better future for families. An affordable home leads to a good education, good jobs and healthy kids. I'm proud to be working to create vibrant communities where people and businesses thrive. Affordable housing is something we should all stand up for because it's the single most important key to strong communities."
Mo Vaughn said, "Providing safe, decent homes for people who need them is the best way I know to give back to my community and make neighborhoods better places to live. Everyone needs a home, but the cost of housing has skyrocketed in recent years and there is a real shortage of quality, affordable places to live. By working together we can turn that around and revitalize our neighborhoods at the same time."
Bernie Carr, Executive Director of the New York State Association for Affordable Housing said, "We need to let people know that today's affordable developments improve communities while providing quality homes for hard-working families. We applaud DHCR for spreading the word that affordable housing works."
The public service announcements encourage people to visit a new web site DHCR has launched to showcase affordable housing developments across the state: www.affordablehousingworks.org. The site also includes a link to the public service announcements of which there are five television spots and two radio spots.
