Proposal Presented for the Master Plan for Aging (#16)
Disclaimer
Throughout the MPA process, more than 100 proposals were developed thanks in particular to thousands of hours of work by external stakeholders and members of the public. These proposals and the MPA Council commentary are being submitted to the Governor and shared with policymakers and the public to inform policymaking. These proposals represent a starting point for discussion. Further discussion is necessary between relevant state agencies and stakeholders to both refine these proposals and assess which may be appropriate to adopt and implement.
Summary
Ensure people can stay in their homes and avoid eviction. Recommendations include reviewing budgetary opportunities to provide a state-funded housing voucher or a state funded plan for housing assistance for New York’s lowest-income seniors, modeled after the Senior Citizen Rent Increase Exemption, and providing legal assistance to all older adults, individuals with disabilities, and caregivers facing eviction or foreclosure.
Justification
Eviction and foreclosure can be especially devastating for older adults, people with disabilities, and their caretakers. An eviction prevention proposal is needed to both address and improve affordability of rent across NYS and NYC through a state funded housing voucher or plan. Tenants in NYC can receive free legal representation, advice, and other legal assistance if they are facing eviction or other related housing issues. However, this service is not available statewide. Expanding this service statewide would provide older adults, people with disabilities and their caretakers who may be facing eviction or foreclosure with needed legal assistance to navigate these hardships.
Full Proposal
To ensure that people are able to stay in their homes and avoid the disruption of eviction:
- Study the budget, implementation options, policy decisions, and unintended consequences that would be required to provide to the state’s lowest income seniors, people with disabilities, and their caregivers with either a state-funded housing voucher and/or a state funded plan for assistance modeled after the locally funded Senior Citizen Rent Increase Exemption/Disability Rent Increase Exemption/Senior Citizen Homeowner’s Exemption or similar.
- Since eviction or foreclosure can be especially devastating for older adults, people with disabilities, and their caretakers, the state could provide funding to provide legal assistance to all such persons facing eviction or foreclosure.
MPA Council Commentary
This proposal is categorized as long-term. Funding decisions are made in the context of the annual budget process and would be subject to the availability of resources. If the proposal to provide state funding for legal counsel in housing court were to advance, the next step to implement this proposal would be to study the implementation process followed by New York City in its comparable program and identify which components could be implemented at the state level and which components would require partnering with local authorities.