Mr. Lynch argued that it is middle-income homeowners in the suburbs who are the key to election victories in the state.

The program gives tax refunds to some middle-income homeowners and renters.

The maximum rebate would increase to $1,200 from $775 for elderly, disabled and low-income people, and to $800 from $250 for other middle-income homeowners.

They are geared toward middle-income homeowners, with entrance deposits from $50,000 to $200,000, and monthly fees from $750 to $1,200.

Squarely in harm's way, however, are low- and middle-income homeowners, many of whom have mortgages with rates that are due to adjust upward this year and next.

A group of middle-income homeowners there has successfully restored and maintained their homes despite the decay that surrounds them.

For middle-income homeowners, it may be a matter of moving into a spare bedroom, the recreation room or the den.

Nor are the difficulties confined to just one segment of the housing market, for they are worrying wealthy and middle-income homeowners alike.

It will rise in phases over several years, giving the borough, for the first time in decades, a new community for middle-income homeowners.

The Speaker championed the businesses and middle-income homeowners who make up the city's tax base.