The availability of affordable, safe and sanitary housing is essential for any community to be able to grow and renew itself. It is important to recognize that Buffalo and the surrounding areas face unique housing concerns that must be addressed with distinctive solutions that are appropriate for the region. This hearing will examine the development and rehabilitation of affordable housing in Buffalo and the surrounding communities with particular attention to blighted and distressed neighborhoods. In addition to addressing direct housing needs, this hearing will examine larger community revitalization efforts as well. The direct development and rehabilitation of affordable housing is important to the overall improvement of communities leading to more significant reinvestment from the private sector and increasing the desirability and value of areas throughout the region. This hearing will also examine the implementation of existing policies and the potential for the creation of new programs to address the particular housing needs of Buffalo and the surrounding communities.

Please see the reverse side for a list of subjects to which witnesses may direct their testimony.

Persons wishing to present pertinent testimony to the Committee at the hearing should complete and return the enclosed reply form as soon as possible. It is important that the reply form be fully completed and returned so that persons may be notified in the event of postponement or cancellation.

Oral testimony will be limited to 10 minutes' duration. In preparing the order of witnesses, the Committee will attempt to accommodate individual requests to speak at particular times in view of special circumstances. These requests should be made on the attached reply form or communicated to Committee staff as early as possible.

Ten copies of any prepared testimony should be submitted at the hearing registration desk. The Committee would appreciate advance receipt of prepared statements.

In order to further publicize these hearings, please inform interested parties and organizations of the Committee's interest in hearing estimony from all sources.

In order to meet the needs of those who may have a disability, the Assembly, in accordance with its policy of non-discrimination on the basis of disability, as well as the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), has made its facilities and services available to all individuals with disabilities. For individuals with disabilities, accommodations will be provided, upon reasonable request, to afford such individuals access and admission to Assembly facilities and activities.

---

1. What are the most significant housing related problems facing Erie and Niagara Counties? Does the nature of these problems differ within the region?


2. What are some affordable housing strategies for distressed communities that can be utilized for Erie and Niagara Counties?


3. What coordinated strategies are currently being implemented to address the affordable housing crisis in the city of Buffalo and in Erie and Niagara Counties as a whole?


4. What role can Neighborhood Preservation Companies and Rural Preservation Companies play in addressing the housing needs of Buffalo and throughout Erie and Niagara Counties?


5. Can mixed-use housing initiatives be beneficial to the residents of the region? If so, what are some potential mixed-use developments that could be beneficial to communities in the region?


6. What housing initiatives and programs should be funding priorities for New York State? Why are such housing initiatives more important and beneficial than others?


7. What policies are currently in place to aid in rehabilitating underused and deteriorating housing stock that are currently occupied? What are the best policies to address this issue? Why are such policies more advantageous?

---

Persons wishing to present testimony at the public hearing on Affordable Housing in Buffalo and the Surrounding Communities are requested to complete this reply form as soon as possible and mail, email or fax it to:

---