Join the Librarian for White Plains History and a panel of local housing advocates for the White Plains History Roundtable on Wednesday, August 26th, at 7:00 pm. August’s Roundtable is called Affordable Housing: Past, Present, and Future. The Roundtable is an educational, participatory, and social event where participants learn about events from White Plains' past, examine primary source materials from the White Plains Collection, and engage in discussion with others.

August's Roundtable will feature a presentation on the history of affordable housing in White Plains- the times when tenants, city officials, journalists, and others have in some way confronted the issue of creating or maintaining housing people can afford to live in. Although Westchester County has recently been in the news, attempts to create affordable, safe housing for residents of the City of White Plains began as early as the 1930s. At that time, residents and city officials began using money available from new federal agencies to conduct studies and create organizations to try improve conditions. Since then, efforts to create affordable housing in the city have ranged from federally-funded construction and subsidized rents to private development and the establishment of affordable housing programs by the city.

Throughout all of this history, citizens involved in groups, non-profit organizations, and government agencies dedicated their work to finding solutions for residents. August's panel members are drawn from this lot. They are Mack Carter (White Plains Housing Authority), Alexander Roberts (Community Housing Innovations), Geoff Smith (WESPAC Foundation), and Rosemarie Noonan (Housing Action Council). They will reflect on the history presented and share from their own experiences in a discussion moderated by the Librarian for White Plains History.

Please join us for a night of inspiring history! Contact Librarian for White Plains History Ben Himmelfarb with any questions at 914-422-1400 or bhimmelfarb@whiteplainsny.gov