OUR INITIATIVES

STATE & CITY BUDGET AND LEGISLATIVE ADVOCACY

Every year New York State and New York City embark on a budgetary and legislative process that have a direct impact on the affordable housing landscape in New York. 

In Albany NYSAFAH regularly advocates for budget funding to increase statewide affordable housing production in addition to seeking legislative remedies that ease the affordable housing production process. In New York City, NYSAFAH advocates for capital dollars that fund affordable housing production and preservation across the city.

On both levels, NYSAFAH works collaboratively with legislative leaders and members of the administration to find solutions to bottlenecks that slows down affordable housing production.

SUSTAINABILITY

Building on the beach

NYSAFAH and our members are leading the way to create green and sustainable affordable housing. Our industry is committed to meet the goals set forth by New York’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (Climate Act) which is the most ambitious and comprehensive in the country. To reduce carbon emissions affordable housing and all housing across the state need to be sustainable which not only means less reliant on fossil fuels but cheaper to run too.

To meet our goals NYSAFAH has formed a sustainability committee comprised of experts from across the industry to find solutions to challenges we face as we become greener. 

DIGITAL EQUITY

Millions of New Yorkers lack adequate access to high-speed internet. This is in large part because families living in low-income areas are inadequately served by the infrastructure that delivers broadband connection. The lack of affordable and reliable broadband has only been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic as many vital public services, including medicine, education, and even connections with family, have transitioned to online platforms.

During the first three months of 2020, reliance on the internet increased by over 47%. This means not only are more people using the internet, but they are also using more data than ever before. We all must work to close this gap, and the affordable housing industry has a key role to play.

In 2021 NYSAFAH and our 501c3 affiliate, House New York, launched AHBI, the Affordable Housing Broadband Initiative. AHBI is a roadmap for how New York can leverage federal funds to wire-up New York’s affordable housing stock with the infrastructure to support quality, high speed, internet access. To read our report, click here! You can also visit House New York’s website for more on AHBI and all our work to provide internet access to residents of affordable housing at www.houseny.org

LAND USE REFORM

New York State’s housing crisis has steadily grown, with recent research showing that New York State had a deficit of 161,925 units in 2012, which worsened to 233,592 by 2019. The New York City metropolitan area, which includes parts of several states, fared even worse, with the shortage growing from 245,000 to 342,000 units during the same period.

This shortage is largely due to restrictive zoning making it highly challenging to build multifamily developments throughout most of the region. Low-income families have been especially disadvantaged by the resulting housing scarcity, as they are outbid by high earners for the primary housing stock, single-family homes.

New York State and New York City must adopt polices that prioritizes the development of affordable housing in all communities across New York State.