BINGHAMTON - County officials and organizations across the region will meet in Binghamton next week to discuss housing needs and strategies to increase local housing opportunities and attract workers.

As communities across the Southern Tier face housing challenges, the 'Workforce Housing and Infrastructure Summit' will bring together developers, municipal officials, real estate professionals, lenders, construction professionals, economic development leaders and others involved in housing and community development.

The event will focus on a plan crafted by Southern Tier 8, called the Regional Housing Investment Framework, giving attendees a first look at the recommendations being made by the group.

“The point of the summit is really to look at the strategies that are being developed to help really invest in our housing atmosphere, try to develop housing, develop some housing funding opportunities, and just really try and develop the housing infrastructure that we have here in order to support job growth and, just community growth in general,” said Shane Butler director of the Chenango County Planning Department and a member of the Southern Tier 8 board.

He said Southern Tier 8 is an organization dedicated to improving the quality of life within the region comprising Chenango, Broome, Cortland, Delaware, Otsego, Schoharie, Tioga and Tompkins counties.

Developed by experts from CommunityScale, Public Innovate and Housing Innovations Group, the framework uses data to identify challenges and needs, outline strategies and connect projects with the needed capital through public and private channels.

He said one of the region's primary housing challenges is the condition of existing housing.

“When it comes to housing, a lot of it is financing and just the general housing stock that we have. A lot of our housing stock in Chenango County is in need of significant repair, and unfortunately a lot of people do not have the financial resources to repair them to the point that they need. I think we have a lack of adequate housing on a number of different levels for all different types of populations,” Butler said.

The summit will showcase tools and research, including site suitability mapping and other resources that help to identify opportunities for housing development. The framework, which are still in progress, can be viewed southerntier8.org/economic-development-programs/housing.

Butler said workforce housing is an important issue for employers and businesses looking to attract workers to the region.

“In order to attract the workforce here, they need reliable housing that they can afford, and, maintain and really get the infrastructure back up to where it needs to be,” he said.

He hopes the summit will help improve understanding of how to use the new planning tools to encourage housing development in Chenango County to help business leaders attract workers and more residents.

“How can we develop better housing, better infrastructure to encourage people to come back, move here, live here, create a better, more sustainable community,” he said.

Butler said Southern Tier 8's director of regional planning, Beth Lucas, has assembled an array of speakers and experts in the field.

“It's a great opportunity for people in the housing sector to hear from some experts that have created this framework with local perspective and local data to show what is possible here,” Butler said.

The sessions throughout the day include Partnership and Networking at breakfast; Housing in Rural New York State; Building Regional Capacity to Implement Housing Solutions; The State of the Southern Tier’s Housing Conditions, Needs and Site Readiness; Prioritizing Investments for Regional Impact; The State Landscape for Workforce Housing; The Southern Tier's Housing Value Chain; The Southern Tier Workforce Housing Investment Framework and Fund Design; and The Partnership & Project Pipeline Opportunity.

The summit is on Wednesday, November 18, scheduled from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., and will be held at the DoubleTree Hotel at 225 Water Street, Binghamton, NY.

Registration costs $60 and includes all meals, sessions and refreshments. Register at regionalboard.regfox.com or upon arrival.

Following the summit, the completed framework will be shared publicly on the Southern Tier 8 website.