Where It All Began: Renee Bloom and the Roots of Keuka Housing Council

What happens when dignity starts in the backseat of a car?

In our premiere episode of Step Toward Independence, host Peter Vazquez sits down with Renee Bloom—the former Executive Director of Keuka Housing Council—to uncover the real roots of rural housing advocacy in Yates County.

From her mother founding the Council in 1977 to the fight for transitional housing today, Renee shares a raw and eye-opening journey through nearly five decades of struggle, service, and survival. Together, they expose the realities of mobile home decay, rising property costs, Section 8 shortages, and the policies that make or break the American Dream in rural New York.

This isn’t a pity party. It’s a battle cry for real solutions—and a call to step up before the crisis becomes collapse.

🎙️ Listen now to hear:

• What "affordable housing" really means (and what it doesn’t)
• The truth behind Airbnbs, mobile homes, and Yates County’s disappearing youth
• How Keuka Housing Council is preparing for the next wave of homelessness—before it hits

Because a roof over your head shouldn't depend on your ZIP code.

Subscribe now to Step Toward Independence—where real stories, real struggles, and real solutions live.