State awards funds for supportive housing

Wednesday, January 4, 2023 - 17:42

Enterprise file photo — Marcello Iaia

The American Legion Riders from the Helderberg Post 977 in Altamont have over the years raised much for Soldier On Inc., which helps veterans. Now Soldier On is among nine Capital Region organizations to be awarded state funding.

Nine organizations in the Capital District have received funding to pay for supportive housing to serve older adults, survivors of domestic and gender-based violence, and veterans and chronically homeless families as well as individuals with a mental illness or substance use disorder.

The local organizations are: Soldier On, Albany Housing Coalition, Rehabilitation Support Services, CARES of NY, The Salvation Army, Domestic Violence and Rape Crisis Services of Saratoga County, YWCA of Schenectady, Mohawk Opportunities, and Living Resources.

Altogether, in the seventh round of the Empire State Supportive Housing Initiative, 125 conditional awards were made for up to 5,000 units of supportive housing in 35 counties.

“All New Yorkers should have a safe, affordable place to call home, especially the most vulnerable among us,” Governor Kathy Hochul said in a release announcing the awards. “The Empire State Supportive Housing Initiative continues to be a critical component in our efforts to address the root causes of housing instability and providing those who experience homelessness with the services they can rely on to live safely in independent settings.”

The conditional awards for services and operating expenses are contingent on a project securing the means for new construction, the adaptive reuse of non-residential property, or the rehabilitation of unregulated residential property to create integrated affordable supportive housing. 

The conditional awards will be used to provide rental assistance and services to eligible target populations to ensure their housing stability. Since its inception, the Empire State Supportive Housing Initiative has provided operating funding for more than 7,400 units serving vulnerable populations.

Research has shown that permanent supportive housing reduces the demand for shelters, hospital beds, emergency rooms, prisons, and jails, according to a release from the governor’s office. In addition, the release said, housing has a positive effect on employment, school attendance, and mental and physical wellbeing.

Supportive housing projects can also positively impact neighborhoods through new construction or by rehabilitating existing buildings.

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