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 2023 Executive Budget recommends $5.3 billion in appropriations.

The Executive Budget recommends a workforce of 625 FTEs, which is an increase of 13 from the FY 2022 Budget.

Major budget actions in the Executive Budget include:

• The utilization of $40 million in excess reserves from the Mortgage Insurance Fund (MIF) to support the Rural Rental Assistance Program, and the Neighborhood and Rural Preservation Programs.
• An appropriation totaling $77 million for the Governor's Office of Storm Recovery for areas impacted by natural disasters.
• An appropriation of $20 million to fund the Homeowners Protection Program for assistance to homeowners at risk of foreclosure.
• A $35 million appropriation to support legal services and representation for eviction cases outside of New York City.
• Proposals to increase the supply of, and access to, affordable housing throughout the State including through encouraging transit-oriented development of housing, permitting the creation of accessory dwelling units, authorize New York City to repeal the floor-area ratio limit on residential density, and allowing for the conversion of hotels and commercial office space into residential housing.
• A new five-year, $25 billion comprehensive Housing Plan to create and preserve 100,000 affordable homes, including 10,000 homes with support services for vulnerable populations, and electrify an additional 50,000 homes as part of the State's plan to electrify 1 million homes and make another 1 million electrification ready. The plan expands on existing State programs and creates new ones, including the following:

• Supportive Housing. $1.5 billion for the construction of 7,000 supportive housing units toward the creation of 20,000 units over 15 years, and the rehabilitation of 3,000 supportive housing units throughout the State;
• Multi-Family New Construction. $1 billion for new construction or adaptive reuse of affordable rental housing;
• Senior Housing. $300 million for developing or rehabilitating affordable housing targeted to low-income seniors, aged 60 and above;
• Middle-Income Housing. $90 million for new construction, adaptive reuse, or reconstruction of rental housing affordable to households that earn between 60 and 130 percent of AMI;
• Community Investment Fund. $80 million for mixed-use affordable housing developments that may include retail, commercial or community development components;
• Public Housing Preservation. $150 million for substantial or moderate rehabilitation and/or the demolition and replacement through new construction of public housing authority developments outside of New York City;
• Multi-Family Preservation. $450 million for substantial or moderate rehabilitation of affordable multi-family rental housing currently under a regulatory agreement;
• Mitchell-Lama Preservation. $120 million to preserve and improve Mitchell-Lama properties throughout the State;
• Small Building Rehab. $60 million for rehabilitation and/or the demolition and replacement through new construction of buildings of 5 to 50 units;
• Accessory Dwelling Units. $85 million for the creation or rehabilitation of Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs), including backyard cottages, attics, garages, and basements;
• Manufactured Homes. $20 million for mobile and manufactured home programs;
• Homeownership Programs. $400 million for promoting home ownership among families of low and moderate income and stimulating the development, stabilization, and preservation of New York communities. This includes a pilot for affordable homeownership opportunities that prioritize resident control;
• Electrification. $250 million to weatherize and electrify New York's housing stock, including through all-electric, high-performance equipment for heating and air-conditioning, alternative energy sources, and other energy-efficient best practices.

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 05/11/2020