Your article “Incentives to Lure Faithful Seen Growing” (April 16) about the Fleetwood Synagogue’s initiative — offering up to $30,000 for new families to use towards the purchase of a new home, provided the family stays in the community for 10 years — is a very exciting and creative concept.
This is the kind of “out of the box” thinking that governments should also consider as we address the affordable housing shortages in the region. Instead of just pursuing the building of new affordable housing, it might be less expensive for governments currently funding affordable housing initiatives to create an affordable housing fund. Municipal employees, volunteer firefighters and ambulance corp members could apply for grants to make home purchases affordable. The condition: those who receive the grants would have to volunteer or stay employed with the locality for a designated period of time.
Fleetwood Synagogue should be congratulated for its initiative, a good model for other affordable housing advocates to follow.
Town Supervisor
Greenburgh, N.Y.
