The Daily Freeman reports that Dutchess County says it will create more than 600 affordable rental units through the county’s new Housing Trust Fund. The governor, and many local officials, have identified the lack of affordable housing as one of New York's largest problems. Dutchess County Executive William O’Neil says six projects in southern Dutchess County will receive a share of $8.9 million through the initial funding round of the Housing Trust Fund’s Housing Creation and Preservation program. Households making between 30 percent and 80 percent of the Dutchess County area median income, which for a family of four is $112, 400, are eligible for the new housing. A Housing Needs Assessment study reported renters earning less than $50,000 faced the greatest housing challenges in Dutchess County. Read more about this story in the Daily Freeman.