Commentary: Residents of older supportive housing units need the state's support

Nearly four decades ago, our legislative predecessors took a pioneering step to combat widespread homelessness by creating the New York State Supportive Housing Program. This innovative model paired affordable, permanent housing with on-site services like mental health and substance use counseling, helping thousands of New Yorkers achieve the stability they need to thrive in their communities...

There are 9,000 formerly homeless households whose stability and health depend on NYSSHP funding; 65% of these tenants are 55 or older. Some 7,000 of these apartments also lack dedicated rental assistance, and almost all are in buildings that are aging and have enormous capital needs — from broken elevators and ancient boilers to leaky roofs and flooded basements.

With the homelessness and affordable housing crisis at catastrophic levels, we cannot afford to lose a single home or add a single household to the tens of thousands of New Yorkers struggling to live in our communities...

Not only will this additional funding and passage of the Supportive Housing Modernization Act allow nonprofits to keep offering tenants supportive housing, but it will also help retain overworked, underpaid staff and create new jobs. And of course, the 9,000 households currently at risk of returning to homelessness will remain stably housed with the services they need.