Bill Text: NY A04968 | 2015-2016 | General Assembly | Introduced


Bill Title: Establishes a priority senior housing waiting list and website through the office of the New York city housing authority for use by adults sixty-five years of age and older.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2016-01-06 - referred to housing [A04968 Detail]

Download: New_York-2015-A04968-Introduced.html
                           S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
       ________________________________________________________________________
                                         4968
                              2015-2016 Regular Sessions
                                 I N  A S S E M B L Y
                                   February 10, 2015
                                      ___________
       Introduced  by  M. of A. SIMOTAS, ROSENTHAL -- read once and referred to
         the Committee on Housing
       AN ACT to amend the public housing law, in relation to the establishment
         of a priority senior housing waiting  list  and  website  through  the
         office  of  the  New  York  city  housing  authority for use by adults
         sixty-five years of age and older
         THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
       BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
    1    Section  1. The  public housing law is amended by adding a new section
    2  402-c to read as follows:
    3    S 402-C. PRIORITY SENIOR HOUSING WAITING LIST AND WEBSITE.  1. THE NEW
    4  YORK CITY HOUSING AUTHORITY SHALL DEVELOP A WEBSITE THROUGH WHICH  INDI-
    5  VIDUALS  SIXTY-FIVE  YEARS    OF  AGE  OR OLDER MAY APPLY IN ORDER TO BE
    6  PLACED ON A PRIORITY WAITING LIST TO OBTAIN PUBLIC HOUSING. THE  WEBSITE
    7  SHALL BE MADE AVAILABLE THROUGH AND MAINTAINED BY THE HOUSING AUTHORITY.
    8    2. ANY INDIVIDUAL SIXTY-FIVE YEARS OF AGE OR OLDER, OR AN AGENT ACTING
    9  ON  BEHALF  OF SUCH INDIVIDUAL, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO, A RELATIVE
   10  OR GUARDIAN, THE STATE  DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES, THE NEW YORK CITY
   11  DEPARTMENT OF HOMELESS SERVICES, THE NEW YORK CITY  DEPARTMENT  FOR  THE
   12  AGING  OR  A  MEDICAL  PROVIDER,  MAY  SUBMIT AN APPLICATION FOR HOUSING
   13  THROUGH THE WEBSITE. APPLICATIONS SUBMITTED THROUGH THE   WEBSITE  SHALL
   14  BE  GIVEN  PRIORITY  BY THE HOUSING AUTHORITY OVER HOUSING LOTTERIES AND
   15  APPLICATIONS SUBMITTED BY OTHER MEANS, AND OVER  APPLICATIONS  SUBMITTED
   16  BY  OR ON  BEHALF OF PERSONS UNDER SIXTY-FIVE YEARS OF AGE. ALL APPLICA-
   17  TIONS SHALL BE ASSIGNED A  PRIORITY  CODE  BASED  UPON  THE  INFORMATION
   18  PROVIDED  AS  TO MEDICAL STATUS AND NEED, AND,  FOLLOWING AN ELIGIBILITY
   19  INTERVIEW, SHALL BE PLACED ON A PRIORITY SENIOR WAITING LIST FOR  AVAIL-
   20  ABLE  HOUSING.    FINAL ASSESSMENT AS TO PRIORITY SHALL BE DETERMINED BY
   21  THE HOUSING AUTHORITY FOLLOWING THE ELIGIBILITY INTERVIEW.  NO  PRIORITY
   22  STATUS SHALL BE ASSIGNED OR ANY HOUSING ASSIGNMENT MADE UNTIL COMPLETION
   23  OF   THE  ELIGIBILITY  INTERVIEW,  UNLESS  A  COMPARABLE  INTERVIEW  WAS
        EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                             [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                  LBD07371-01-5
       A. 4968                             2
    1  CONDUCTED BY THE HOUSING   AUTHORITY WITHIN THIRTY  DAYS  PRIOR  TO  THE
    2  SUBMISSION OF THE WEBSITE APPLICATION.
    3    3. APPLICATIONS SUBMITTED THROUGH THE WEBSITE SHALL BE ASSIGNED A CASE
    4  NUMBER  WHICH  MAY  BE  USED  TO  TRACK  THE PROGRESS OF THE APPLICATION
    5  THROUGH THE WEBSITE.   APPLICATIONS SHALL NOT  BE  TRACKED  THROUGH  THE
    6  WEBSITE  BY  NAME OR SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER OF THE APPLICANT OR A MEMBER
    7  OF THE APPLICANT'S HOUSEHOLD.
    8    4. WEBSITE APPLICATIONS SHALL BE  RE-EVALUATED  EVERY  THREE  DAYS  IN
    9  ORDER  TO  DETERMINE PRIORITY GIVEN TO APPLICANTS WHO HAVE COMPLETED THE
   10  ELIGIBILITY INTERVIEW. RE-PRIORITIZATION SHALL BE BASED  ON  CHANGES  IN
   11  MEDICAL STATUS OR NEED.
   12    5. (A) THE WEBSITE SHALL INCLUDE A LIST OF RENTAL PROPERTIES WHICH THE
   13  NEW  YORK  CITY  DEPARTMENT  OF HOUSING PRESERVATION AND DEVELOPMENT HAS
   14  DETERMINED TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR THE J-51 PROGRAM AND WHICH HAVE CURRENT OR
   15  ANTICIPATED VACANCIES. THE WEBSITE SHALL  INCLUDE  A  SEPARATE  LIST  OF
   16  RENTAL  PROPERTIES  WHICH DO NOT QUALIFY FOR THE J-51 PROGRAM, BUT WHICH
   17  HAVE CURRENT OR ANTICIPATED VACANCIES AND ACCEPT TENANTS USING SECTION 8
   18  FEDERAL HOUSING ALLOWANCE PROGRAM VOUCHERS  OR  CERTIFICATES  OR  SENIOR
   19  CITIZEN RENT INCREASE EXEMPTIONS. THE HOUSING AUTHORITY SHALL COORDINATE
   20  WITH  THE  DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING PRESERVATION AND DEVELOPMENT TO DEVELOP
   21  AND MAINTAIN A LISTING OF J-51 PROPERTIES. VACANCIES SHALL BE LISTED  ON
   22  THE WEBSITE WITHOUT CHARGE TO THE PROPERTY OWNER OR MANAGER.
   23    (B)  THE  OWNER  OF RENTAL PROPERTIES AS DESCRIBED IN PARAGRAPH (A) OF
   24  THIS SUBDIVISION, OR HIS OR HER AGENT, SHALL NOTIFY THE HOUSING AUTHORI-
   25  TY OF AN IMPENDING VACANCY WITHIN TEN DAYS OF LEARNING OR FIRST BECOMING
   26  AWARE OF THE IMPENDING VACANCY, AND SHALL, BY MARCH FIRST OF EACH  YEAR,
   27  PROVIDE  THE HOUSING AUTHORITY WITH A LIST OF VACANCIES THAT OCCURRED AT
   28  EACH PROPERTY DURING THE PREVIOUS CALENDAR YEAR AND THE DATE UPON  WHICH
   29  THE VACANCIES WERE FILLED. SUCH LIST SHALL BE IN A FORM AS DETERMINED BY
   30  THE  HOUSING AUTHORITY. THE HOUSING AUTHORITY SHALL MONITOR THE LISTS TO
   31  ASSURE THAT VACANCIES ARE BEING REPORTED PROMPTLY TO THE HOUSING AUTHOR-
   32  ITY AND THAT HOUSING IS NOT BEING  IMPROPERLY  DENIED  BY  THE  PROPERTY
   33  OWNER  TO  SENIOR  CITIZENS.  THE  HOUSING  AUTHORITY  SHALL  REPORT ANY
   34  SUSPECTED IMPROPER DENIALS OF HOUSING IN J-51 BUILDINGS TO THE NEW  YORK
   35  CITY DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING PRESERVATION AND DEVELOPMENT.
   36    6.  THE  HOUSING  AUTHORITY  SHALL MAINTAIN INFORMATION CONCERNING THE
   37  OVERALL  NUMBER OF WEBSITE APPLICANTS, THE NUMBER OF APPLICANTS PROVIDED
   38  WITH HOUSING ACCOMMODATIONS AS A RESULT OF WEBSITE APPLICATIONS AND  THE
   39  LENGTH  OF  TIME BETWEEN THE APPLICATIONS AND THE ASSIGNMENTS, AND SHALL
   40  PROVIDE THIS INFORMATION IN ALL FILINGS REQUIRED BY LAW TO  BE  MADE  BY
   41  THE HOUSING AUTHORITY.
   42    S 2. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after
   43  it shall have become a law; provided, however, that effective immediate-
   44  ly,  the  addition,  amendment  and/or  repeal of any rule or regulation
   45  necessary for the implementation of this act on its effective  date  are
   46  authorized  and  directed  to  be  made  and completed on or before such
   47  effective date.
feedback