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. DHCR performs a number of activities, including oversight and regulation of the State’s public and publicly assisted rental housing; administration of the State’s rent regulations and protection of rent regulated tenants; and administration of housing development and community preservation programs, including State and Federal grants and loans to housing developers in order to finance construction and renovation of affordable housing.

Organization and Staffing

DHCR maintains three main offices and two regional offices in Buffalo and Syracuse. Main offices in Albany and Manhattan are responsible for agency-wide administrative functions and the development and execution of DHCR's policies for its Community Development and Housing programs. DHCR's Rent Administration program is administered through the main office in Queens and local offices in rent regulated communities.

Budget Highlights

The FY 2021 Executive Budget recommends $309 million in appropriations, as well as $2.2 billion in reappropriations targeted for the Affordable and Homelessness Housing Plan.

The Executive Budget recommends a workforce of 776 FTEs, which is consistent with the FY 2020 Budget.

Major budget actions include:

• The Executive Budget continues funding to support full implementation of the five-year investment for the Affordable Housing and Homelessness Plan, which continues to create new housing opportunities for individuals in need of supportive services and provide resources to support vulnerable populations in securing stable housing.
• The Executive Budget utilizes $39 million in excess reserves from the Mortgage Insurance Fund (MIF) to support the Neighborhood and Rural Preservation Programs, as well as the Rural Rental Assistance Program.

The Executive Budget streamlines the billing process for the Office of Rent Administration (ORA). Currently, the State incurs costs for ORA activities in New York City and is subsequently reimbursed through a billing process. The Executive Budget streamlines this reimbursement by authorizing the adjustment of other reimbursements in an amount equal to what the State spends, thereby replacing a process involving payments in both directions with one net payment from the State to the City of New York. There is no impact on ORA's programs, services, or budget.

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)

Program Highlights

Finance and Development

Funds the development and preservation of affordable housing, including the Low Income Housing Tax Credit programs, tax exempt and taxable bond finance programs, single family loan and capital awards programs.

Housing Preservation

Oversees programs that maintain and enhance the State’s portfolio of existing affordable housing, including DHCR’s Public Housing portfolio, the Office of Rent Administration, the Section 8 Program, Asset Management, and the Weatherization Assistance Program.

Community Renewal

Supports programs targeting community and economic development, job creation and downtown revitalization, including the NYS Community Development Block Grant Program, New York’s Main Street Program, the Affordable Housing Corporation, the Neighborhood Stabilization program and the Neighborhood and Rural Preservation Programs.

Note: Most recent estimates as of 01/29/2020