Bill > A09616

This bill, known as the "care workforce housing preference act," aims to address housing affordability challenges faced by essential workers in New York's care sector, including direct support professionals, nursing assistants, nurses, behavioral health staff, and therapists, by establishing a housing preference in certain affordable housing programs. The bill amends the private housing finance law to allow for this preference in developments financed with low-income housing tax credits, bonds issued by the agency, or U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) HOME program funds, provided the developer opts in. Households will qualify if at least one member is employed in a qualifying care occupation, and this preference will be administered through lottery weighting or tie-breaking procedures, not as a set-aside, meaning all income-eligible applicants remain eligible regardless of employment. The preference will be available for the first sixty days of each marketing cycle, with a cap on the number of units leased to eligible households, which can be set at twenty percent, ten percent, or five percent by the project sponsor. Furthermore, the division of housing and community renewal will amend its qualified allocation plan to award points for adopting this preference, and developers will be required to submit a marketing and outreach plan to ensure effective implementation.

Housing and Urban Affairs

https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/A9616