When it comes to living paycheck to paycheck, living without internet access or living without health insurance, odds are there are more households experiencing those conditions in Elmhurst and Corona than anywhere else in Queens.
That’s according to a new report issued last week by the Association for Neighborhood and Housing Development, the umbrella organization of about 100 non-profit affordable housing and economic development groups across the city.
While many neighborhoods in the Bronx, some in Brooklyn and a handful in Manhattan score worse than Elmhurst and Corona, the over arching theme of ANHD’s report was that, as some areas have blossomed in recent years, others have been left behind.
“Economic development has historically overlooked the needs and capacity of low-income communities, communities of color, and immigrants while focusing on increased revenue,” the report reads.
When it comes to the number of homes that live paycheck to paycheck without emergency savings, Elmhurst and Corona — lumped together in the report — ranked first in Queens with 64 percent.
The neighborhoods also led the borough when it comes to living below the poverty line which 21 percent of households do.
Twenty-one percent of homes there rely on food stamps or similar programs, second only to Jamaica and Hollis with 23 percent.
Elmhurst and Corona also place second in terms of residents with a high school diploma — 70 percent — trailing Jackson Heights’ 68 percent mark.
Regarding health insurance, 22 percent of residents there lack coverage, second to Sunnyside and Woodside by just one percentage point.
State Sen. Jose Peralta (D-East Elmhurst) said in a Tuesday interview that constantly rising rent prices in his district — where high-end residential development has begun in recent years — leaves many people unable to save or spend much money.
“Those numbers sound very accurate,” Peralta said. “You have families trying to make ends meet but rents are skyrocketing out of control. Back in the day, 15 or 20 percent of your income went to rent. But now, we’re seeing cases of working people paying 50, 60 or 70 percent of their income to rent.”
The ANHD’s report bares that out, as 62 percent of units in Elmhurst and Corona are considered rent burdened, tops in the city outside of the Bronx.
“How can you save money when you’re living paycheck to paycheck?” Peralta asked. “Once you start struggling, you begin to live in a bubble of borrowing and that’s very dangerous.”
When asked about the report on Wednesday, one of the findings that troubled Assemblyman Francisco Moya (D-Jackson Heights) the most was the lack of internet access in 21 percent of Elmhurst and Corona homes.
Flushing and Whitestone lead in that category with 23 percent.
“In communities of color and immigrant communities, this is a serious problem,” Moya said. “It hurts kids trying to do their homework. A lot of their assignments are research and internet based. We take it for granted that the internet is a free thing we have at our disposal, but it’s not for many people.”
As chairman of the Assembly’s Commission on Science and Technology, Moya pledged to strengthen and possibly expand internet access programs — specifically citing the Queens Library’s Google tablet borrowing initiative as a success story worth studying.
“One of my priorities this year is to bridge that gap,” he said, “and find out how we can expand on these programs, whether it’s through funding or sitting down and have a roundtable with these providers.”
Assemblyman-elect Brian Barnwell — who once he’s sworn in come January will represent a densely populated swath of Woodside — said Tuesday that, like Peralta, he is not shocked by the report.
“The lack of savings number stands out. People are stretched thin these days,” Barnwell said. “Good-paying, union jobs are becoming more scarce. The fact of the matter is that nothing is affordable.”
When it comes to solutions, Barnwell said it’s time for the winning ways of luxury developers to come to an end.
“When the middle class and working class gets squeezed out, look what happens,” he said. “It all starts with creating more good-paying jobs and affordable housing. I’m one person, but these are things I’m going to pursue.”
Both Moya and Peralta said nothing is going to change unless communities unite and hold their elected officials at all levels of government accountable at the ballot box.
“I tell folks constantly that voting matters,” Peralta said. “The more we educate folks and help individuals in need, the louder the message we can send to our mayors and governors.”
“We have to be smart about it,” Moya asked. “Is your City Council member funding extra sanitation and more police? Are they doing things to help our infrastructure issues? We have to start holding them accountable.”
A common thread across Queens — not just Elmhurst and Corona — was that more than 50 percent of households live paycheck to paycheck. The only exceptions are Bayside and Little Neck (46 percent), Queens Village (47 percent) and Forest Hills and Rego Park (49 percent).
But other Queens residents aren’t struggling to secure healthcare coverage like those in Elmhurst and Corona are. The uninsured rate in most other neighborhoods ranges from 7 percent in Queens Village to 19 percent in Flushing and Whitestone.
One category in which Elmhurst and Corona aren’t near the top is unemployment, however, as just 5.7 percent of people are out of work there.
According to the ANHD, Jamaica leads with an 11.1 percent unemployment rate, followed by 9 percent in Hillcrest and Fresh Meadows and 8.2 percent in South Ozone Park and Howard Beach.
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