Reyes, Tapia, Cruz, Burdick, Steck, Seawright, Lee
MLTSPNSR
Add Art 29-A §1265, Priv Hous Fin L
Establishes an affordable independent senior housing assistance program which shall provide grants within amounts appropriated or otherwise available therefor to affordable independent senior housing properties to establish and operate resident assistance programs.
NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A1948
SPONSOR: Rosenthal TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the private housing finance law, in relation to estab-
lishing an affordable independent senior housing assistance program
PURPOSE:
Establishes an affordable senior housing program to be administered by
the Housing Trust Fund Corporation.
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1240 sets forth legislative findings.
Section 1241 provides for definitions.
Section 1242 establishes the Affordable Senior Housing and Services
Program and criteria for eligibility.
JUSTIFICATION:
New York State has historically financed independent housing designed
for seniors. In recent years, priorities have shifted and senior housing
units have been included as a small set aside within larger supportive
housing projects serving people with a broad range of special needs.
This does not always achieve the objective of creating senior communi-
ties with amenities and services for the aging population. The Social
Security Administration estimates that 10,000 Americans are turning 65
every day. With that, the demand for age-targeted affordable housing
developments with amenities and services geared for residents 62 and
older is on the rise. Many of these seniors are anticipated to have
limited retirement savings and will need subsidized rental housing to
live safely and independently in the community.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Section 202
program, which built over 100,000 units of senior housing in New York,
was discontinued in 2011, and now only provides ongoing rental assist-
ance to existing developments. Creating a new statewide Affordable
Senior Housing and Services Program will help address the demand for
safe, decent affordable housing for seniors, while also ensuring that
seniors are not unnecessarily placed in more costly and restrictive
institutional settings. This program will also provide optional basic
healthy aging services for residents.
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
2022-23: A.4716 - Referred to Housing
2021-22: A.3531 - Referred to Housing; S.3006 (Kavanagh) - Housing
2019-20 A.4974 Referred to Housing; S.5269 Kavanagh
2017-18: A.6804 - Referred to Housing, Referred to Ways & Means.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
None. This program would be subject to annual appropriations.
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
1948
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 14, 2025
___________
Introduced by M. of A. ROSENTHAL -- read once and referred to the
Committee on Housing
AN ACT to amend the private housing finance law, in relation to estab-
lishing an affordable independent senior housing assistance program
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. The private housing finance law is amended by adding a new
2 article 29-A to read as follows:
3 ARTICLE XXIX-A
4 AFFORDABLE INDEPENDENT SENIOR HOUSING ASSISTANCE PROGRAM
5 Section 1265. Affordable independent senior housing assistance program.
6 § 1265. Affordable independent senior housing assistance program. 1.
7 Establishment. The commissioner, in conjunction with the commissioner of
8 health, shall develop an affordable independent senior housing assist-
9 ance program, which shall provide grants within amounts appropriated or
10 otherwise available therefor to affordable independent senior housing
11 properties to establish and operate resident assistance programs. The
12 grants shall be distributed by the commissioner of health.
13 2. Definitions. For purposes of this article, the following terms
14 shall have the following meanings: (a) "affordable independent senior
15 housing property" shall mean apartment buildings or apartment complexes
16 occupied by individuals over sixty years of age, who live independently
17 and at least eighty percent of whom have a total household income that
18 does not exceed sixty percent of the area median income; and
19 (b) "resident assistance" shall mean support offered to residents of
20 affordable independent senior housing properties to help promote healthy
21 living by extending independence and improving quality of life.
22 3. Assistance. Resident assistance shall be determined by the commis-
23 sioner of health; provided however, that the provision of such assist-
24 ance shall not include any services or assistance that requires the
25 property to be licensed as an adult care facility pursuant to article
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD02348-01-5
A. 1948 2
1 seven of the social services law or an assisted living residence pursu-
2 ant to article forty-six-B of the public health law. Prior to issuing
3 any grants pursuant to this article, the department of health shall
4 solicit input from various stakeholders to determine what would consti-
5 tute assistance to ensure that such assistance would not require such
6 licensure. A summary of such input and the determination by the depart-
7 ment of health as to whether the assistance provided by the grant appli-
8 cant would require licensure as an adult care facility or assisted
9 living residence shall be in writing and shared with the various stake-
10 holders prior to the approval of any grants pursuant to this section.
11 4. Allocation. Sixty percent of the total funds awarded pursuant to
12 this article in any fiscal year shall be allocated to projects located
13 in urban areas of the state, as such term is defined in subdivision four
14 of section twelve hundred thirty-one of this chapter. Forty percent of
15 the total funds awarded pursuant to this article in any fiscal year
16 shall be allocated to projects located in rural areas of the state, as
17 such term is defined in subdivision three of section twelve hundred
18 thirty-one of this chapter. Any funds appropriated or otherwise avail-
19 able therefor for the program may be transferred to the department of
20 health. A portion of any amounts appropriated or otherwise available
21 therefor may be used by the commissioner of health to administer the
22 program.
23 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
