“Affordable housing” is an often-used phrase that sometimes begs more questions than it answers. Affordable for who, exactly? Who decides who needs it, and how much money can they make? The most common answer is that affordable housing should be provided for those making 60 percent to 80 percent of the median income in Westchester County, and that rents should be between $1,400 and $1,700 per month.

But as Mayor Joseph Delfino pointed out at a press conference/awards ceremony held at the YMCA on Mamaroneck Avenue on Monday to recognize Councilman Glen Hockley and the labor leaders he mobilized to renovate the center’s residences, rents in that range are utterly unaffordable for many people living and working in the area.

The YMCA, which Helene Mogridge, the vice president and director of the residence facility, pointed out is not a homeless shelter or transient hotel, offers 167 rooms for males. There are 55 dorm-like rooms in the 1930 Wing that have shared bathrooms and biweekly maid service and linen change. The 1970 Wing features 112 studio rooms, with in-room shower and toilet facilities, which rent for $162 per week.

The residents are diverse in race (about 57 percent white), age (20 years old to over 70), and length of residency (about 30 percent less than one year and over 25 percent over seven years). Prospective residents are carefully screened, Mogridge said, in part because so many children use the facility, and they are all employed or on public services. Residents include those working in retail, caddies from the various country clubs in the area, taxi and limousine drivers, and teachers.

In his opening remarks, Robert Lapp, president and CEO of the YMCA of Central & Northern Westchester, thanked Delfino and Hockley for their leadership and advocacy in getting local labor unions and contractors to donate paint, carpet, and labor to renovate the facilities; the work is about half done and is expected to be completed by December.

The impetus for the work was a meeting in 2006 between Delfino and Lapp to talk about the facility in general that led to Delfino assisting the YMCA in obtaining a $150,000 interest-free loan to replace the entire roof over the 1970 Wing. Lanline Communications of White Plains then donated over $20,000 worth of material and labor to establish wireless Internet connectivity, at no charge, for residents in both wings. Cablevision then wired the 1930 Wing to make all rooms cable-ready (the other wing was already wired).

Earlier this year, Hockley met with Mogridge and Michael Carriere, business representative of District Council No. 9, Union of Painters and Allied Trades, which led to Carriere’s organization providing interns and union workers to begin repainting, at no charge, all rooms and access hallways, with paint donated by Peter Gisondi of Peter Gisondi & Co. (300 gallons) and Greg Fucci of PAF Painting Corporation (100 gallons). Albert DePaul, business agent of the United Association of Plumbers & Steamfitters, Local Union No. 21, committed to replace the two main water lines coming into the building (also at no cost), and Jeff Passante, president of Resilient Floor Covers Local Union 2287, NYC District Council, in collaboration with the Greater New York Floor Coverers Association, donated over 400 yards of carpet plus labor to install carpet in all residential hallways and in rooms most in need of new carpeting.

The labor leaders and contractors were all presented with certificates of appreciation (with Peter Gisondi Jr. accepting on behalf of his father and Bevin Carsten accepting on behalf of DePaul). Hockley was presented with a Community Initiative Award by Lapp, who said the councilman epitomizes the words “initiative” and “advocacy.” Visibly moved at the honor, Hockley said “this award goes to everyone,” and he credited Delfino for serving as an example of using common sense and “weeding out all the issues and people who find obstacles to get the job done.” He added that looking to the future, the city has to find ways to become “a sustainable and resilient city,” with truly affordable housing an integral part of that.

If energy and other costs continue to rise, Hockley said, “low-income people are going to get crushed and middle-income people are going to get stressed.” Waiting to see what happens is not an option, he added.