VIDEO TRANSCRIPT: Home HeadQuarters
ANTONIO DUNSTON, REPORTER: Here on the south side of Syracuse, vacant lots and aging homes tell a different story than the booming development near the university. Luxury apartments and student housing continue to reshape the landscape, while just on the other side of town locals like Maria zollo are finding it hard to even stay in the neighborhoods they grew up in.
MARIA ZOLLO: Well, I’ve noticed they’ve been building a lot of new houses, but those are like way out of budget. They’re like close to $600,000 in certain areas around Syracuse. Which, I’m a teacher. I’m not buying that type of house.
DUNSTON: In Syracuse, rising rents and stagnant wages are squeezing families out of their homes. While development near the university comes with tax breaks, lower-income neighborhoods face neglect, displacement and high rates of eviction. Local nonprofits like home headquarters are racing to build affordable housing – renovating vacant properties and pushing for policy reforms – but the demand far exceeds what’s available.
DUNSTON: Despite living in homes plagued by code violations – from ill fitting doors and faulty wiring to hazardous plumbing and pervasive lead risks – Syracuse renters and homeowners are left questioning why they were subjected to a staggering 22% rent hike in 2024, which was the highest increase of any U.S. city.
Kerry Quaglia, CEO of Home Headquarters Inc., is one of the individuals leading the charge against this concerning trend. Along with his organization, their goal is to keep costs comparable to rent and keep residents in the neighborhoods they’ve long called home.
KERRY QUAGLIA: What we’re doing with programs like this is we apply for some state dollars that help make the home more affordable to people of low or moderate income. And we sell these homes to those folks and it’s a very affordable package.
DUNSTON: Officials say they’re targeting distressed areas with new housing strategies, but Home Headquarters chief communications officer, Karen Schroeder, says that although she is pleased she wants them to remember just how far we still have to go.
KAREN SCHROEDER: There’s a lot of challenges here. High lead rates. Childhood posioning. A lot of childhood poverty here. So there is alot of things that Syracuse has really needed to kind of up its game and I think it’s starting to do that.
DUNSTON: As Syracuse reimagines its future, the challenge isn’t just building more homes – it’s making sure those homes are safe, accessible and within reach. For many families, the stakes are more than financial – they’re generational. Reporting from Syracuse, Antonio Dunston, NCC News.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC NEWS) — A tale of two cities is unfolding in Syracuse. As development accelerates near Syracuse University, the area has become a hub of construction and rising skylines. Meanwhile, residents on the city’s south side remain increasingly cut off and overshadowed by the surge in investment and infrastructure beyond the Interstate 81 divide.
New developments benefit from tax breaks and incentives, yet many lower-income neighborhoods continue to struggle with aging housing stock, high eviction rates and few affordable options.
Maria Zollo, a local teacher from Fairmount, has watched the transformation with growing concern as she became a prospective homebuyer. She recalls searching for a home in the town she grew up in but noted the prices were not only too high, but the houses were smaller as well.
“They’ve been building a lot of new houses. But those are way out of budget. They’re like close to $600,000 in certain areas around Syracuse,” she said. “I’m a teacher. I’m not buying that type of house.”
Zollo’s experience reflects a broader crisis. The increase in stagnant wages, rising rents and limited housing options has priced many families out of the communities they have long called home.
On the south side, vacant lots and deteriorating houses tell a different story than the gleaming towers near the university. The contrast is stark and growing. Local advocates say the city’s housing problems are more than a lack of supply, encompassing inequities in access and long-term stability.
Nonprofits like Home HeadQuarters Inc. are working to close the gap. The organization specializes in affordable housing, renovating vacant properties and selling them to low and moderate-income families. CEO Kerry Quaglia says their mission is to keep housing cost comparable to rent, helping residents stay rooted in their communities.
“There’s a real shortage of housing in general in Syracuse,” Quaglia said. “But there’s a real shortage of affordable housing. What we’re doing with programs like this is applying for state dollars that help make the home more affordable. In most cases, the people with the mortgage and taxes are paying no more than they were paying for rent because rents have also escalated in the Syracuse market.”
The urgency is clear. Syracuse has some of the oldest housing stock in the nation and the challenges go beyond affordability.
Home HeadQuarters Chief Communications Officer Karen Schroeder cites the city’s high lead rates, childhood poisoning and persistent poverty as compounding issues holding Syracuse back.
“There’s a lot of challenges here,” Schroeder said. “Syracuse has really needed to kind of up its game and I think it’s starting to do that.”
City officials say they’re rolling out new housing strategies, targeting distressed areas and hoping to revitalize neighborhoods. But for many residents, progress feels slow and uneven. The divide between the university district and the low to moderate income neighborhoods is more than geographic.
It’s economic, racial and generational.
The I-81 viaduct, long seen as a symbol of segregation and disinvestment, looms large in this conversation. As plans to replace the highway are underway, advocates stress the importance of equity and are urging leaders to prioritize inclusive development to prevent further displacement.
For many families, the stakes are high. The fight for affordable housing affects more than just shelter for residents and plays a key role in their stability, access to opportunities and sense of belonging.
Without meaningful investment in underserved neighborhoods, the city is deepening the divide and could lose the communities that give the city its character.
The path forward will require collaboration, policy reform and a proven commitment to the equity that goes beyond bricks and mortar.
For now, organizations like Home HeadQuarters continue to push for change, one home at a time. And the residents that continue to be looked over hope that Syracuse’s growth will one day include them.