Newsfeed Category: New York State

OTDA Announces Medicaid Redesign Team Capital Funding

Jun.25.2014

The NYS Homeless Housing and Assistance Corporation (HHAC) and the NYS Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA) have announced the availability of $10 million in funding through the 2014 Homeless Housing and Assistance Program Medicaid Redesign Team Capital Funds (HHAP/MRT) program to develop supportive housing for homeless individuals with histories of substantial Medicaid use.  OTDA will begin accepting applications for funding on June 30, 2014 as part of the HHAP open Request for Proposals (RFP).

HHAP provides grants and loans to acquire, construct and rehabilitate housing for persons who are or would otherwise be homeless. Projects eligible for HHAP / MRT funds must provide permanent supportive housing to homeless single individuals who exhibit conditions or histories recognized to be associated with high Medicaid usage. Examples include but are not limited to single adults who have experienced chronic homelessness, physical disability, mental illness, substance abuse, and/or other disabling conditions.

Campaign 4 NY/NY Housing Launches at NYC Hall

Jun.09.2014

The crowd at the launch of Campaign 4 NY/NY Housing on May 28. Photo by Coalition for the Homeless.

The Network joined a crowd of more than 150 advocates on May 28 for the launch of Campaign 4 NY/NY Housing, a grassroots initiative to call on lawmakers to create a new New York/New York Supportive Housing Agreement.

This new coalition is urging Gov. Cuomo and Mayor de Blasio to negotiate a City-State agreement to create 30,000 units of supportive housing over the next 10 years. To date, more than 150 organizations have signed on to the campaign’s platform. You can endorse the campaign by following this link. The Network is proud to have helped launch this campaign with such organizations as Coalition for the Homeless, CSH, Enterprise Community Partners and many, many others.

You can learn more about the Campaign 4 NY/NY Housing by reading these press highlights in Capital New York, New York Observer and The Real Deal.

New York State Releases Three Supportive Housing RFPs

Jun.04.2014

New York State released three Requests for Proposals (RFPs) last week to fund the development of new supportive housing programs across the state.

Among them, the NYS Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA) released its 2014 Homeless Housing and Assistance Program (HHAP) RFP. This RFP will provide $63 million in capital for the development of supportive housing projects throughout the state. OTDA will begin accepting applications for funding on June 30, 2014. This is an open-ended RFP, which means proposals will be accepted on a continual basis. You can read our complete overview of this RFP here.

The NYS Office of Mental Health also released an RFP for the development and operation of up to 154 units of Supported Housing in New York City. These units will house individuals who have a serious mental illness and meet a number of additional criteria. Applications for this RFP are due July 15 with a letter of intent due June 10.

Unified Funding Round Awards Announced

May.06.2014

NYS Homes and Community Renewal (HCR) has announced the capital awards for its 2013 Unified Funding Round, which allocates federal 9% Low Income Housing Tax Credits and Housing Trust Fund dollars to affordable housing development projects.

Based on the Network’s preliminary analysis, the 2013 Unified Funding Round finances a total of 164 supportive housing units. This number represents a decrease from 2012, when 389 units saw funding. Supportive housing accounted for 8% of the 2,092 affordable units funded this year. In an average year, supportive housing comprises 17% of the units funded through the UFR. Much of this drop can be attributed to the forthcoming end of the New York/New York III Supportive Housing Agreement, a 10-year commitment that concludes next year.

Of the 37 projects funded, seven include supportive housing apartments. In total, Low Income Housing Tax Credits funded $2.3 million in supportive housing projects. Those funded include:

Oregon Study: Supportive Housing Improves Health, Saves Money

Apr.23.2014

A study released earlier this month reconfirms the economic and health benefits of supportive housing.

The report comes out of Oregon, where supportive housing has helped a group of formerly homeless individuals dramatically cut their healthcare expenses. It finds that tenants on Medicaid at Bud Clark Commons (BCC) averaged roughly $2,000 per month in healthcare costs in their year prior to housing. Once housed, that figure dropped to just $899 a month, a 55% decrease. Collectively, the 59 tenants studied at BCC reduced their Medicaid costs by more than $783,000 in just one year. You can read the full document here.

The report concludes:

“The average resident saw a reduction of over $13,000 in annual [Medicaid] claims, an amount greater than the estimated $11,600 it costs annually to house a resident at BCC. Importantly, this reduction in claims was maintained into and beyond the second year of residency, suggesting that supportive housing had a profound and ongoing impact on health care costs for those living at BCC.”

The Center for Outcomes Research & Education (CORE) prepared the report, which is titled “Integrating Housing & Health.” You can read the full study here and a press clip on its findings in Affordable Housing Finance here. We urge you to share the latest report on the positive benefits of supportive housing!

New York Finalizes State Budget

Mar.31.2014

The NYS Legislature has finalized and is expected to vote on its 2014-2015 budget within the next few days. Overall, the $138 million spending plan is a positive budget for supportive housing and is very similar to Governor Cuomo’s proposal submitted in January. It provides significant increases in capital funding for supportive housing development, large allocations of supportive housing service and operating subsidies for high-cost Medicaid recipients and modest increases to key supportive housing and homelessness programs like NYSSHP, STEHP and OMH Supported Housing. It also includes a 30% rent cap for persons living with HIV/AIDS in NYC and supports an OMH reinvestment fund to expand access to community-based services throughout the state.

To influence the debate on this year’s budget, the Network co-hosted an advocacy day in Albany with Homeless Services United (HSU) on March 18. More than 60 volunteers and staffers attended roughly 40 meetings that day with NYS senators, representatives and their staff. We argued for the very issues outlined below in these meetings. We’d like to thank everyone who participated in this advocacy day as well as the one we co-hosted in February.

We’d also like to thank Governor Andrew Cuomo and his staff, the Division of Budget, the NYS Senate (specifically Senator Avella, Social Services Committee Chair; Senator Young, Housing Committee Chair; Senator Hannon, Health Committee Chair; and Senator Carlucci, Chair of the Mental Health Committee), the NYS Assembly (specifically, Assemblywoman Titus, Chair of Social Services; Assemblyman Wright, Housing Chair; Assemblyman Gottfried, Health Committee Chair and Assemblywoman Gunther, Chair of Mental Health) and all of the staff in both houses who worked tirelessly to put this budget together. We deeply appreciate your continuing commitment to supportive housing.

Budget highlights of particular interest include:

Supportive Services RFA for Seniors Released

Mar.25.2014

In addition to yesterday's Request for Applications (RFA) from the NYS Department of Health (DOH), the agency has also released an RFA for the Senior Supportive Housing Services program. Applications are due May 15 with several additional deadlines throughout April. See below for an overview of the RFA.

Program Description

DOH is seeking to fund eight projects that provide senior supportive housing services to Medicaid-eligible seniors who are homeless, seniors who reside in the community and are at risk of nursing home placement or seniors transitioning out of nursing homes in the community who require long term care. Funding can be used for home modifications to make the living environment more accessible and/or services to allow the person to remain housed and live independently in the community.

Use of Funds

For purposes of this RFA, a senior supportive housing services project is defined as the pairing of capital assistance and supportive services within existing senior housing communities.

Capital assistance funding is available to increase accessibility features within existing units. Funding for new construction or gut rehabilitation of vacant buildings is not available through this RFA. Funding can also be used to develop and provide supportive services to residents in order to sustain the residents’ ability to remain housed, live independently in the community and to avoid unwanted institutional care.

Department of Health Releases Supportive Services RFA

Mar.24.2014

The NYS Department of Health (DOH) has just released Request for Applications (RFA) for the Medicaid Redesign Team (MRT) Supportive Housing Nursing Home to Independent Living program.

Applications are due May 15 with several additional deadlines throughout April. Funding will support services and rental subsidies for high-need Medicaid beneficiaries. See below for an overview of the RFA.

Program Description

DOH is seeking to fund up to two innovative projects to provide supportive housing services -- including the provision of rental subsidies to seniors and individuals with physical disabilities who require a nursing home-level of care and who currently are homeless, reside in the community or in nursing homes or those who are at risk of nursing home placement. The funded projects will develop, implement and provide supportive services to participants in order to sustain the participants’ ability to live in the community independently, and to avoid unwanted institutional care. The funded projects will also develop and implement a system to provide rental subsidies on behalf of participants of this project.

Available Funding

DOH intends to award up to two contracts for a two-year term with no renewals anticipated. The total anticipated amount available for this procurement is up to $8 million (up to $4 million per year for two years).

MRT Supportive Housing Health Home Pilot RFA Released

Mar.11.2014

The NYS Department of Health (DOH) has just released the Medicaid Redesign Team Supportive Housing Health Home Pilot Project Request for Applications (RFA). DOH is seeking applications from supportive housing providers for funds to provide rental subsidies and/or on-site or community-based services to provide housing for homeless or unstably housed Medicaid members that are enrolled in New York State’s Health Home program.

Applications are due May 23 with several additional deadlines throughout March and April. See below for an overview of this RFA.

Program Description:

The intent of the Pilot Program is to identify best practices, procedures and methods for supportive housing providers to collaborate with Health Homes to:

• Identify and locate homeless or unstably housed Health Home members.
• Provide housing as a means to facilitate access to health services and improve the health status of Health Home members.
• Coordinate the efforts of the Health Home care manager and the housing specialist to implement the Health Home member’s plan of care.
• Provide an opportunity for providers and Health Homes to develop innovative services or methods to ensure that Health Home members remain stably housed.

Guest Blog: A Tenant Advocate Discusses His Day in Albany

Mar.10.2014

When Robert Hart awoke on February 11, he had no idea he’d be visiting Albany that day to tell his story to New York’s senators and representatives.

Robert is a tenant at The Castle, a transitional housing residence operated by the Fortune Society. Last month, Robert joined the Network, Homeless Services United and others for a trip to Albany to advocate for supportive housing programs. Other tenants and staffers from Fortune Society were scheduled to attend our advocacy day, and on a whim Robert asked if he could join. Everyone said of course.

Robert made quite the impression on those around him – everyone from our staff to the elected officials he met in meetings. He spoke of his experiences in housing and the services offered by Fortune to help him improve his reading and writing. He also read several poems he’d written, moving all those around him. As the Network gears up for its next big Albany advocacy day on Tuesday, March 18, we present a few words from Robert on his experiences in Albany. We encourage all of our members to reach out to their tenants to see if they’d like to attend our advocacy day on March 18. We’d love to have them join us. Robert, for his part, plans to attend again.

"My Trip to Albany," by Robert Hart:

It was a sudden and unexpected trip, but it was an experience of a lifetime.

What started as a joke question – “Can I go?” – quickly became a reality. There I was on a three-hour trip to Albany, not knowing what to expect. I had an immediate flashback to my trip to Washington when I was in junior high school. After the trip, I and my class had to write an essay about our experience in Washington. Because of my poor reading and writing at the time, my essay was never completed. That’s why this is a joy, to be asked to write a few lines about my trip to Albany. I finally have a sense of completion of my junior high essay.

As I walked into the building, I was in awe of how huge the building was. The first thing that got my attention was the beautiful statues and paintings in the building. It seemed as time quickly passed, I felt as if I became a part of the staff. At 6’5”, I felt that day so much bigger. Not like Robert Hart, the client at Fortune, but more like Mr. Robert Hart, team member and staff. I wanted so much to be a part of what was taking place that day in Albany.

I knew there was something I could say, about how Fortune has been a great asset to my life and others and how Fortune is a great organization to keep up and running, so I got up and took the floor.

Because of my inability to read and write through high school and my young adult years, I take special pride in the poems I put together. I learned creative writing from Fortune. They enhanced my writing skills.

Thanks to everyone who enjoyed my poems, there will be more to follow.

To read two of Robert’s poems, see here and here. For a rundown of our chief advocacy goals this month, see this story.