The amazing story of New York State’s most successful affordable housing program!
I interview Dick, a resident of a Mitchell-Lama limited equity housing cooperative. None of my friends know what “limited equity” or “housing cooperative” mean. But don’t let vocab words scare you off! In all of New York City, Mitchell-Lamas are the best places for ordinary people to live. New Yorkers describe getting into a Mitchell-Lama “hitting the jackpot.”
This episode is quite a bit longer than we planned. First, as the very first episode, we spent some extra time introducing the entire show. I also had the fortune of interviewing someone who is not only a resident of Mitchell-Lama housing; he is an expert on it. In addition to all the great information, Dick asks us to consider questions that have no quick answer, like “should a home be an investment?” and “what do we owe the public if the public subsidizes our housing?”
Thanks to Dick for inviting me into his home (before the pandemic) and sitting down for an interview. And thanks as well to Scott of Cream City Social for listening to the interview and tying it all together.
Image: The “million dollar view” from Dick’s New York home, looking uptown. This one shot is a sliver of the panorama: Dick’s balcony also has a view of the East River. Music by Matt Krco.
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