With housing on the top of many state lawmakers' budget priority list, a new report is detailing the challenges New Yorkers face, specifically when it comes to support.
Spectrum News 1 gathered some reaction.
Kevin O’Connor, CEO of affordable housing provider RUPCO, said it should come as no surprise that demand for supportive housing is high. But funding to make it possible isn’t matching the need.
Supportive housing covers both traditional housing and the services provided to folks using it.
“The more capacity that we have as an organization to support our existing staff, to add additional staff, we become more robust and then we are able to better serve, deliver services to the residents that we're trying to provide for," he said.
That's among the conclusions reported in a new study by the Supportive Housing Network of New York. The report highlights the stark funding difference between the New York State Supportive Housing Program, or NYSSHP, which provides up to $3,900 a year for services only, with the Empire State Supportive Housing Initiative, or ESSHI, which provides $25,000 a year to households for services and operating.
The network hopes legislators take a serious look at the funding discrepancy.
“While we are thinking about and improving our existing programs, or thinking about new ones, it's so important that we have parity and bring our older programs into the modern age," said Network Executive Director Pascale Leone.
RUPCO’s Director of Program Services Kelsey Vargas said funding for supportive housing is critical for populations like formerly homeless people and those dealing with addiction.
“Transportation to and from local services, to medical appointments if needed," she said. "And we have just seen our tenants thrive in this housing paradigm where they have the need to get to different services.”
O’Conner added that he hopes lawmakers will be able to use the report to craft legislation to support supportive housing organizations.