BILL NUMBER: S8676
SPONSOR: FAHY
 
TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the private housing finance law, in relation to enacting
the "care workforce housing preference act"
 
PURPOSE:
This legislation establishes an affordable housing preference for
members of New York's care workforce within certain affordable housing
developments.
 
SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:
The bill adds a new section 47-f to the Private Housing Finance Law to
create a "care workforce housing preference" applicable to: Low-Income
Housing Tax Credit developments financed with 9 percent or 4 percent
bonds and credits; rental housing developments financed with bonds
issued by a housing finance agency; and certain HOME-assisted rental
developments, at the sponsor's election.
Eligible households are those with at least one member employed in a
qualifying careforce occupation, including direct support professionals,
certified nursing assistants, licensed practical nurses, registered
nurses, behavioral health and human services staff employed in programs
overseen by OPWDD, OMB, or OASAS, and early intervention and special
education therapists.
The preference must be implemented through lottery weighting or tie-
breaking, not through a set-aside, and applies only during the first
sixty days of a marketing cycle. The preference is capped at no more
than 20 percent of restricted units in a development, with optional
lower targets of 10 percent or 5 percent.
The bill directs the Division of Housing and Community Renewal to amend
the Qualified Allocation Plan to award up to five points for projects
that adopt the preference and submit a verified care workforce marketing
and outreach plan. The agency may also recognize the preference as a
state-designated priority eligible for basis boost where appropriate.
The bill authorizes rulemaking, includes a severability clause, and
takes effect immediately.
 
JUSTIFICATION:
New York's care workforce-particularly direct support professionals,
behavioral health staff, nursing staff, and early intervention and
special education therapists-faces persistent recruitment and retention
challenges driven in significant part by housing affordability. These
workers are essential to the functioning of the State's Medicaid-funded
health and human services system and are disproportionately impacted by
rising rents in the same communities where their services are most need-
ed.
Despite the central role these workers play in supporting older adults,
individuals with disabilities, and people with behavioral health and
substance use needs, existing affordable housing programs do not system-
atically recognize or prioritize the care workforce. As a result, many
workers are priced out of the communities they serve, exacerbating work-
force shortages, increasing turnover, and undermining service continui-
ty.
This bill provides a narrowly tailored, fair-housing compliant tool to
better align affordable housing policy with the State's workforce and
service delivery needs. By limiting the preference to lottery weighting,
imposing clear caps, and restricting its application to an initial
marketing window, the legislation preserves broad access to affordable
housing while creating a modest but meaningful opportunity for care
workers to live closer to their jobs at no cost to the State.
The bill further strengthens accountability by requiring targeted
outreach, multilingual materials, voucher-neutral screening, and report-
ing on implementation outcomes. These provisions ensure that the prefer-
ence is implemented transparently and equitably and that it advances the
goals of fair housing and tenant choice.
 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
New bill.
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
None.
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.