This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Long Island Housing Partnership. I would be remiss if I did not briefly reminisce with you about the history of the Partnership. Some 450 families live in new homes created by the organization with thousands of other families benefiting from mortgage counseling, loans made by the Partnership's lending consortium and technical support supplied to other not-for-profits as they have constructed new homes. The new homes have been priced between $40,000 and $89,000.

The origins go back to 1986 when Jim Larocca, then president of the Long Island Association, (LIA), asked me to chair a committee on affordable housing. Businesses were finding it extremely difficult to attract people here because of the high prices of homes and it was even more difficult for first-time home buyers to find an affordable home. Young people, educated here, were fleeing the Island in droves. The interest of the LIA was to support the need for affordable housing on Long Island.

After a year-and-one-half of work, the LIA committee came up with a 10-point, affordable housing plan. One of the points suggested was having the LIA get involved in, or to cause the creation of, a not-for-profit organization to actually build affordable housing. It was made clear that we could not solve the problem, but we would, at least, take some leadership role, rather than just complaining.

The board of directors of the LIA turned down the idea - it was something that the LIA felt went beyond the scope of its mission.

Fortunately, the idea did not die, and I went on, with tremendous support from Long Island banks, labor unions, businesses, home builders, real estate brokers and the Diocese of Rockville Centre, to create a new and separate entity - the Long Island Housing Partnership. And I was glad to see the LIA take a leadership position as the new organization was formed.

Many people from the private sector contributed to the initial development of the Long Island Housing Partnership. Three, however, in the public sector, stand out in my mind. Pat Halpin, then Suffolk County Executive, Frank Jones, the supervisor of Islip, and Governor Mario Cuomo were with us from the outset. It was a truly bipartisan effort. All helped to make the Long Island Housing Partnership a partnership of the private sector in cooperation with governments at all levels.

One of the Partnership's first acts was to select a president and CEO. Jim Morgo was elected and the board has never looked back. Jim was a former Suffolk County Legislator and also served under County Executive Peter Cohalan. He has contributed tremendously to the work of the Partnership over the last 10 years.

Since its founding the Housing Partnership has been responsible for the construction of some 1,270 homes. Many of those families would have to have left Long Island. In addition, some 1,500 home buyers have been provided with mortgage counseling.

If you would like to know more about the work of the Long Island Housing Partnership, call 435-4710.