The City of Rochester gave a critical update on the state of housing in the city as a new law on vacant houses takes effect this month. “We continue to hear time and time again from community members that the availability and affordability of housing is one of the major concerns they expect for us to resolve,” said Aqua Porter, executive director of the Rochester Monroe Anti-Poverty Initiative and co-chair of the Rochester Housing Quality Task Force. “It is one of the biggest barriers to upward mobility in this community.”