The County Executive’s Corner: Protecting Our Community with Smart, Affordable Housing

Our county is facing a housing crisis, and I want to speak directly about what we’re doing to meet that moment. Last Friday, at our annual Rockland County Housing Forum, we announced the launch of our new Keep Rockland Home affordable housing campaign — a focused effort to break down stigma, correct misinformation, and make sure every Rocklander understands who affordable housing serves and why it matters to our entire community.

Affordable housing isn’t an abstract policy issue. It’s the difference between a family staying in the community where they grew up, a teacher being able to live near the school where they teach, a nurse or first responder not having to commute hours each day, or a senior being able to afford a safe, stable home to age in place. Too many of our neighbors are stretched thin: more than 40% of Rocklanders spend 30% or more of their household income on housing. That leaves little for groceries, medicine, transportation, or an emergency.

Keep Rockland Home shows the truth about affordable housing — that it provides safe, quality, accessible homes for a broad range of residents: seniors, recent college graduates, teachers, essential workers, first responders, and more. The campaign is about facts, not fears. It will dispel rumors and inaccuracies that too often derail projects that could help stabilize our workforce and preserve the character of the neighborhoods we all cherish.

I’m grateful to Alexandra Obremski, our Community Development Director, for her leadership in framing how affordable housing supports economic growth and strong community connections. And I want to thank Nora Madonick and Arch Street for leading the campaign’s marketing work and helping us elevate facts over fiction.

What you can expect from Keep Rockland Home:

Real stories that put faces to the statistic that many in our county are housing-cost burdened

Responses to common concerns about development happening thoughtfully and responsibly.

Clear information about who qualifies 

This campaign is not about changing Rockland — it’s about keeping Rockland a place people can call home. By building and preserving affordable homes across every income level, we protect our local workforce, support small businesses, and keep our neighborhoods vibrant and diverse.

Together, we can ensure that Rockland remains a place where people can live, work, raise families, and grow old with dignity.

Learn more about the campaign at KeepRocklandHome.com.