Housing and Community Renewal, Division of

Agency Web Site: https://hcr.ny.gov/division-housing-and-community-renewal

Mission

The Division of Housing and Community Renewal (DHCR) is responsible for the supervision, maintenance, and development of affordable low- and moderate-income housing in New York State. The Division currently performs a number of activities in fulfillment of this mission, including oversight and regulation of the State’s public and publically assisted rental housing; administration of the State’s rent regulations; and administration of housing development and community preservation programs, including State and Federal grants and loans to housing developers to finance construction and renovation of affordable housing.

Budget Highlights

The Executive Budget recommends $264.8 million for the Division. This is an increase of $9.5 million from the FY 2014 Budget. The growth primarily reflects an increase in capital funding, offset by a reduction in General Fund local assistance related to the expiration of program funding.

The Executive Budget recommends a workforce of 683 FTEs for the Division, which reflects no change from 2013-14 Budget.

Major budget actions include:

• Continued Expansion of Affordable Housing Opportunities: The Executive Budget proposes to continue the $1 billion investment over five years for the House NY program initiated in FY 2014 to preserve and create an estimated 14,300 affordable housing units statewide. This program is creating significant economic benefits for the State, including long-term stabilization of distressed neighborhoods and the creation of jobs during construction. This multi-year initiative includes the revitalization of forty-four Mitchell Lama affordable housing projects that suffer from significant physical deterioration ($706 million); the creation and preservation of over 5,000 affordable housing units through various housing and community development programs ($231 million); and other initiatives. The FY 2015 Budget expands upon the House NY program by adding $10 million in new capital resources for construction and renovation of affordable housing for low income individuals and families, coupled with an additional $30 million in ODTA capital to develop housing for formerly homeless persons.
• Utilization of MIF Resources to Support the Neighborhood and Rural Preservation Programs (NPP/RPP) and the Rural Rental Assistance Program (RRAP): The Executive Budget proposes to continue the utilization of $32 million in excess reserves from the Mortgage Insurance Fund (MIF) to support NPP/RPP and RRAP through the Housing Trust Fund Corporation.
• Expand Affordable Housing Opportunities: There is a significant shortage of quality affordable housing in New York State – 2.9 million households are financially insecure in their homes, paying over 30 percent of their income on housing. The Executive Budget recommends the investment of $100 million of federal storm recovery funds to create and preserve 3,000 affordable housing units in multi-family developments. This investment will serve as a catalyst to attract private investment into the market by lowering mortgage costs and leading to more affordable rents.

For more information on this agency's budget recommendations located in the Executive Budget Briefing Book, click on the following link:

Briefing Book – Human Services (PDF)

Note: Most recent estimates as of 01/20/2014

Click for additional detailed appropriation tables