S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
________________________________________________________________________

                                  2492

                       2011-2012 Regular Sessions

                          I N  A S S E M B L Y

                            January 19, 2011
                               ___________

Introduced  by  M. of A. MENG -- read once and referred to the Committee
  on Housing

AN ACT to amend the public housing law, in relation to the establishment
  of a priority senior housing waiting  list  and  website  through  the
  office  of  the  New  York  city  housing  authority for use by adults
  sixty-five years of age and older

  THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

  Section  1. The  public housing law is amended by adding a new section
402-c to read as follows:
  S 402-C. PRIORITY SENIOR HOUSING WAITING LIST AND WEBSITE.  1. THE NEW
YORK CITY HOUSING AUTHORITY SHALL DEVELOP A WEBSITE THROUGH WHICH  INDI-
VIDUALS  SIXTY-FIVE  YEARS    OF  AGE  OR OLDER MAY APPLY IN ORDER TO BE
PLACED ON A PRIORITY WAITING LIST TO OBTAIN PUBLIC HOUSING. THE  WEBSITE
SHALL BE MADE AVAILABLE THROUGH AND MAINTAINED BY THE HOUSING AUTHORITY.
  2. ANY INDIVIDUAL SIXTY-FIVE YEARS OF AGE OR OLDER, OR AN AGENT ACTING
ON  BEHALF  OF SUCH INDIVIDUAL, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO, A RELATIVE
OR GUARDIAN, THE STATE  DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES, THE NEW YORK CITY
DEPARTMENT OF HOMELESS SERVICES, THE NEW YORK CITY  DEPARTMENT  FOR  THE
AGING  OR  A  MEDICAL  PROVIDER,  MAY  SUBMIT AN APPLICATION FOR HOUSING
THROUGH THE WEBSITE. APPLICATIONS SUBMITTED THROUGH THE   WEBSITE  SHALL
BE  GIVEN  PRIORITY  BY THE HOUSING AUTHORITY OVER HOUSING LOTTERIES AND
APPLICATIONS SUBMITTED BY OTHER MEANS, AND OVER  APPLICATIONS  SUBMITTED
BY  OR ON  BEHALF OF PERSONS UNDER SIXTY-FIVE YEARS OF AGE. ALL APPLICA-
TIONS SHALL BE ASSIGNED A  PRIORITY  CODE  BASED  UPON  THE  INFORMATION
PROVIDED  AS  TO MEDICAL STATUS AND NEED, AND,  FOLLOWING AN ELIGIBILITY
INTERVIEW, SHALL BE PLACED ON A PRIORITY SENIOR WAITING LIST FOR  AVAIL-
ABLE  HOUSING.    FINAL ASSESSMENT AS TO PRIORITY SHALL BE DETERMINED BY
THE HOUSING AUTHORITY FOLLOWING THE ELIGIBILITY INTERVIEW.  NO  PRIORITY
STATUS SHALL BE ASSIGNED OR ANY HOUSING ASSIGNMENT MADE UNTIL COMPLETION
OF   THE  ELIGIBILITY  INTERVIEW,  UNLESS  A  COMPARABLE  INTERVIEW  WAS

 EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                      [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                           LBD05517-01-1
              

A. 2492                             2

CONDUCTED BY THE HOUSING   AUTHORITY WITHIN THIRTY  DAYS  PRIOR  TO  THE
SUBMISSION OF THE WEBSITE APPLICATION.
  3. APPLICATIONS SUBMITTED THROUGH THE WEBSITE SHALL BE ASSIGNED A CASE
NUMBER  WHICH  MAY  BE  USED  TO  TRACK  THE PROGRESS OF THE APPLICATION
THROUGH THE WEBSITE.   APPLICATIONS SHALL NOT  BE  TRACKED  THROUGH  THE
WEBSITE  BY  NAME OR SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER OF THE APPLICANT OR A MEMBER
OF THE APPLICANT'S HOUSEHOLD.
  4. WEBSITE APPLICATIONS SHALL BE  RE-EVALUATED  EVERY  THREE  DAYS  IN
ORDER  TO  DETERMINE PRIORITY GIVEN TO APPLICANTS WHO HAVE COMPLETED THE
ELIGIBILITY INTERVIEW. RE-PRIORITIZATION SHALL BE BASED  ON  CHANGES  IN
MEDICAL STATUS OR NEED.
  5. (A) THE WEBSITE SHALL INCLUDE A LIST OF RENTAL PROPERTIES WHICH THE
NEW  YORK  CITY  DEPARTMENT  OF HOUSING PRESERVATION AND DEVELOPMENT HAS
DETERMINED TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR THE J-51 PROGRAM AND WHICH HAVE CURRENT OR
ANTICIPATED VACANCIES. THE WEBSITE SHALL  INCLUDE  A  SEPARATE  LIST  OF
RENTAL  PROPERTIES  WHICH DO NOT QUALIFY FOR THE J-51 PROGRAM, BUT WHICH
HAVE CURRENT OR ANTICIPATED VACANCIES AND ACCEPT TENANTS USING SECTION 8
FEDERAL HOUSING ALLOWANCE PROGRAM VOUCHERS  OR  CERTIFICATES  OR  SENIOR
CITIZEN RENT INCREASE EXEMPTIONS. THE HOUSING AUTHORITY SHALL COORDINATE
WITH  THE  DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING PRESERVATION AND DEVELOPMENT TO DEVELOP
AND MAINTAIN A LISTING OF J-51 PROPERTIES. VACANCIES SHALL BE LISTED  ON
THE WEBSITE WITHOUT CHARGE TO THE PROPERTY OWNER OR MANAGER.
  (B)  THE  OWNER  OF RENTAL PROPERTIES AS DESCRIBED IN PARAGRAPH (A) OF
THIS SUBDIVISION, OR HIS OR HER AGENT, SHALL NOTIFY THE HOUSING AUTHORI-
TY OF AN IMPENDING VACANCY WITHIN TEN DAYS OF LEARNING OR FIRST BECOMING
AWARE OF THE IMPENDING VACANCY, AND SHALL, BY MARCH FIRST OF EACH  YEAR,
PROVIDE  THE HOUSING AUTHORITY WITH A LIST OF VACANCIES THAT OCCURRED AT
EACH PROPERTY DURING THE PREVIOUS CALENDAR YEAR AND THE DATE UPON  WHICH
THE VACANCIES WERE FILLED. SUCH LIST SHALL BE IN A FORM AS DETERMINED BY
THE  HOUSING AUTHORITY. THE HOUSING AUTHORITY SHALL MONITOR THE LISTS TO
ASSURE THAT VACANCIES ARE BEING REPORTED PROMPTLY TO THE HOUSING AUTHOR-
ITY AND THAT HOUSING IS NOT BEING  IMPROPERLY  DENIED  BY  THE  PROPERTY
OWNER  TO  SENIOR  CITIZENS.  THE  HOUSING  AUTHORITY  SHALL  REPORT ANY
SUSPECTED IMPROPER DENIALS OF HOUSING IN J-51 BUILDINGS TO THE NEW  YORK
CITY DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING PRESERVATION AND DEVELOPMENT.
  6.  THE  HOUSING  AUTHORITY  SHALL MAINTAIN INFORMATION CONCERNING THE
OVERALL  NUMBER OF WEBSITE APPLICANTS, THE NUMBER OF APPLICANTS PROVIDED
WITH HOUSING ACCOMMODATIONS AS A RESULT OF WEBSITE APPLICATIONS AND  THE
LENGTH  OF  TIME BETWEEN THE APPLICATIONS AND THE ASSIGNMENTS, AND SHALL
PROVIDE THIS INFORMATION IN ALL FILINGS REQUIRED BY LAW TO  BE  MADE  BY
THE HOUSING AUTHORITY.
  S 2. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after
it shall have become a law; provided, however, that effective immediate-
ly,  the  addition,  amendment  and/or  repeal of any rule or regulation
necessary for the implementation of this act on its effective  date  are
authorized  and  directed  to  be  made  and completed on or before such
effective date.