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 2022 Executive Budget recommends $646.5 million in appropriations, as well as $ 3.1 billion in reappropriations targeted for the Affordable and Homelessness Housing Plan.

The Executive Budget recommends a workforce of 612 FTEs, which is a reduction of 164 from the FY 2021 Budget.

Major budget actions in the Executive Budget include:

• The continuation of 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;
• An additional $186 million for to support Governor's extended commitment towards the creation of 20,000 supportive housing units over fifteen years;
• The utilization of $18 million in excess reserves from the Mortgage Insurance Fund (MIF) to support the Neighborhood and Rural Preservation Programs;
• An appropriation totaling $130 million for the Governor's Office of Storm Recovery for areas impacted by natural disasters; and
• A proposal to codify the eligibility of not-for-profit Housing Development Fund Corporations that enter into a regulatory agreement with Homes and Community Renewal or the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development for a sales tax exemption to support the development of affordable housing.

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 01/19/2021