S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                    965
 
                        2019-2020 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                             January 14, 2019
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  M. of A. SIMOTAS, L. ROSENTHAL -- 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-e to read as follows:
   § 402-E. 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.
              

                                                            LBD01375-01-9

 A. 965                              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.
   § 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.