You can provide testimony and inform Senate Finance and Assembly Ways and Means on why housing is an essential part of the New York State Budget.  Budget hearings will be held on January 29, 2009 in Hearing Room C of the Legislative Office Building.   To testify  in Albany, contact Clinton Freeman, 518-455-5491 and limit your remarks to 10 minutes. Bring 40 copies to Albany. If you cannot travel to Albany you may send 10 copies of your remarks to: A. Herman D. Farrell, Rm 923 LOB, Albany, NY 12248 within 5 days of the hearing

Community Services Block Grant: $1 billion for grants to local communities to support employment, food, housing, and healthcare efforts serving those hardest hit by the recession. Community action agencies have seen dramatic increases in requests for their assistance due to rising unemployment, housing foreclosures, and high food and fuel prices.

Community Development Block Grants: $1 billion for community and economic development projects including housing and services for those hit hard by tough economic times. Continue reading →

Attacking the Housing Crisis

·        Public Housing Capital Fund: $5 billion for building repair and modernization, including critical safety repairs.  Every dollar of Capital Fund expenditures produces $2.12 in economic return.  $4 billion of the funds will be distributed to public housing authorities through the existing formula and $1 billion will be awarded through a competitive process for projects that improve energy efficiency.

·        HOME Investment Partnerships: $1.5 billion to help local communities build and rehabilitate low-income housing using green technologies.  Thousands of ready-to-go housing projects have been stalled by the credit crunch.  Funds are distributed by formula. Continue reading →

• RPCs and NPCs are a nationally recognized model with a strong record of putting  housing dollars to work

• RPCs and NPCs are in the forefront of the battle to stem the tide of foreclosures

• RPCs and NPCs leverage over $25 in state, federal and private resources for every dollar provided through the Preservation Program

• RPCs and NPCs are governed by local boards of directors and are responsive and accountable to their communities

Legislators will be in Albany with session at 3:00 today. 2009-legislative-calendar

Note that they will be in town Monday through Thursday the entire week of March.  Start planning your visits now.

The governor’s speech before a joint session of the Legislature, scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. Wednesday, opens the 2009 legislative session.  Senate leadership met last night Continue reading →

Governor Patterson released his Executive Budget Proposal for New York 09/10 fiscal year. RPC and NPC cuts were made by about half which roughly translates into a cut from the current $90,900 (RPC) to approximately $52,000. Bonded capital programs are proposed for the  Housing Trust Fund  at  $29 million; $25 million for AHC and HHAP at $25 million with the usual ad on for AIDS housing. RARP and UI are zeroed out and so is Main Street.  $400,000 is proposed for RESTORE

One very large concern is the proposed cut to the Rural Rental Assistance Program. Continue reading →

The  selection of Shaun Donovan, to be HUD Secretary is good news for affordable housing and New York’s future  partnership.  Great pick!

Statement from Senate Democratic Leader Malcolm A. Smith

“Today I am announcing that the Democratic Members of the Senate have elected to cease negotiations on reorganization matters with all three Senators as discussed both in private and in the press. We are suspending negotiations, effective immediately, because to do so otherwise would reduce our moral standing and the long-term Senate Democratic commitment to reform and to change. Continue reading →

With the latest news from NYS Democrats, upstate Senators will hardly be in a good position to  be making any deals in Albany next year. Senator Smith is to become Senate president pro tem,  Espada majority leader, Kruger  the Chair of the Finance Committee, and Diaz  Chair of the Aging Committee.

With upstate Republican Senators suddenly talking about a coalition, there are only four Senators north of NYC in the majority party:

Neil Breslin, Bill Stachowski, Antoine Thompson, Darrel Aubertine and David Valesky