Senate Bill S10121

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   10121
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                              April 30, 2026
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by Sen. BRISPORT -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Housing, Construction  and
   Community Development
 
 AN  ACT  to amend the private housing finance law, in relation to estab-
   lishing a former foster youth priority program
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1.  Legislative findings and intent. 1. The legislature finds
 that individuals who age out of foster care  face  significantly  higher
 risks   of   housing  instability,  homelessness,  and  related  adverse
 outcomes.   Nationally, about one in four  former  foster  youth  become
 homeless within four years of leaving foster care.
   2.  In  New  York  city, as of December 31, 2024, 6,503 youth lived in
 twenty-four-hour foster care.
   3. The legislature acknowledges that stable, affordable housing  is  a
 critical  foundation  for  successful transitions to adulthood, reducing
 reliance on emergency systems and improving educational,  economic,  and
 health outcomes.
   4.  Accordingly,  it  is  the  intent of the legislature to direct the
 relevant housing agencies  to  adopt  a  Former  Foster  Youth  Priority
 program  for  lottery  selection  in  assisted housing programs, so that
 former foster youth have expanded access to quality affordable housing.
   § 2. The private housing finance law is amended by adding a new  arti-
 cle 33 to read as follows:
 
                                 ARTICLE 33
                   FORMER FOSTER YOUTH PRIORITY PROGRAM
 
 SECTION 1300. DEFINITIONS.
         1301. FORMER FOSTER YOUTH PRIORITY PROGRAM.
         1302. ADMINISTRATION; RULES; PLANS.
         1303. FAIR HOUSING COMPLIANCE; REPORTING.
   § 1300. DEFINITIONS. AS USED IN THIS ARTICLE:
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD14045-01-5
              

 S. 10121                            2
 
   1.  "FORMER  FOSTER  YOUTH"  MEANS AN INDIVIDUAL AGED EIGHTEEN THROUGH
 TWENTY-SEVEN WHO, ON OR AFTER THEIR SIXTEENTH BIRTHDAY, WAS OR HAD  BEEN
 IN  THE  CUSTODY  OF  THE  NEW  YORK STATE OFFICE OF CHILDREN AND FAMILY
 SERVICES OR A LOCAL SOCIAL SERVICES DISTRICT, INCLUDING  THOSE  INDIVID-
 UALS WHO EXITED CARE VIA ADOPTION, GUARDIANSHIP, REUNIFICATION, OR AGING
 OUT OF CARE.
   2.  "STATE-ASSISTED  HOUSING"  MEANS A DWELLING UNIT THAT IS FINANCED,
 SUBSIDIZED, OR REGULATED UNDER A STATE HOUSING  PROGRAM,  INCLUDING  BUT
 NOT  LIMITED TO PROGRAMS ESTABLISHED UNDER THIS CHAPTER, AND FOR WHICH A
 LOTTERY OR WAITING LIST IS USED TO ALLOCATE OCCUPANCY.
   3. "HOUSING LOTTERY" MEANS A REGULATED SELECTION PROCESS  ADMINISTERED
 BY  THE NEW YORK CITY DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING PRESERVATION AND DEVELOPMENT
 OR THE NEW YORK CITY HOUSING DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION FOR THE PURPOSE  OF
 ALLOCATING  AFFORDABLE  HOUSING  UNITS  TO ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS THROUGH A
 RANDOMIZED SELECTION SYSTEM.
   4. "FORMER FOSTER YOUTH PRIORITY  PROGRAM"  MEANS  A  HOUSING  LOTTERY
 PROGRAM  THAT  RESERVES  FIVE  PERCENT  OF  UNITS  IN APPLICABLE HOUSING
 LOTTERIES FOR ELIGIBLE FORMER FOSTER YOUTH.
   § 1301. FORMER FOSTER YOUTH PRIORITY PROGRAM.   1. IN  CONDUCTING  ANY
 HOUSING  LOTTERY,  THE  NEW YORK CITY DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING PRESERVATION
 AND DEVELOPMENT AND THE NEW YORK CITY  HOUSING  DEVELOPMENT  CORPORATION
 SHALL  IMPLEMENT  A FORMER FOSTER YOUTH PRIORITY PROGRAM THAT RESERVES A
 PROPORTION OF UNITS IN APPLICABLE HOUSING LOTTERIES FOR ELIGIBLE  FORMER
 FOSTER  YOUTH,  IN  AN  AMOUNT  NOT  LESS  THAN FIVE PERCENT, SUBJECT TO
 COMPLIANCE WITH FEDERAL, STATE, AND LOCAL FAIR HOUSING LAWS.
   2. IN IMPLEMENTING A FORMER FOSTER YOUTH  PRIORITY  PROGRAM,  THE  NEW
 YORK CITY DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING PRESERVATION AND DEVELOPMENT AND THE NEW
 YORK  CITY  HOUSING  DEVELOPMENT  CORPORATION  SHALL COORDINATE WITH THE
 OFFICE OF  CHILDREN  AND  FAMILY  SERVICES  AND  RELEVANT  LOCAL  SOCIAL
 SERVICES  DISTRICTS  TO  VERIFY  THAT  AN  INDIVIDUAL IS A FORMER FOSTER
 YOUTH, PURSUANT TO SUBDIVISION ONE OF SECTION THIRTEEN HUNDRED  OF  THIS
 ARTICLE,  AND  SHALL ALLOW FOR THE USE OF ALTERNATIVE FORMS OF VERIFICA-
 TION WHERE RECORDS ARE UNAVAILABLE OR DIFFICULT TO OBTAIN.
   § 1302. ADMINISTRATION; RULES; PLANS. 1. THE NEW YORK CITY  DEPARTMENT
 OF  HOUSING  PRESERVATION  AND DEVELOPMENT AND THE NEW YORK CITY HOUSING
 DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION ARE AUTHORIZED TO ADOPT,  AMEND  OR  REPEAL  ANY
 RULES  AND  REGULATIONS  NECESSARY  FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE FORMER
 FOSTER YOUTH PRIORITY PROGRAM.
   2. THE NEW YORK CITY DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING PRESERVATION  AND  DEVELOP-
 MENT  AND  THE  NEW  YORK  CITY HOUSING DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION ARE ALSO
 AUTHORIZED TO DEVELOP ANY MARKETING HANDBOOKS AND PROCEDURAL  GUIDELINES
 NECESSARY  TO  IMPLEMENT  AND  PROMOTE  THE  PROGRAM.  THE NEW YORK CITY
 DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING PRESERVATION AND DEVELOPMENT AND THE NEW YORK CITY
 HOUSING DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION SHALL ALSO INCLUDE MARKETING AND  APPLI-
 CANT  SELECTION PLANS THAT ACCOUNT FOR, AND CONSPICUOUSLY ADVERTISE, THE
 AVAILABILITY OF UNITS TO FORMER FOSTER YOUTH.
   § 1303. FAIR HOUSING COMPLIANCE; REPORTING. 1. IN CONDUCTING ANY HOUS-
 ING LOTTERY, THE NEW YORK CITY DEPARTMENT OF  HOUSING  PRESERVATION  AND
 DEVELOPMENT  AND THE NEW YORK CITY HOUSING DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION SHALL
 IMPLEMENT A FORMER FOSTER YOUTH PRIORITY PROGRAM IN A MANNER  CONSISTENT
 WITH  THE FEDERAL FAIR HOUSING ACT, THE NEW YORK STATE HUMAN RIGHTS LAW,
 AND ANY OTHER APPLICABLE ANTI-DISCRIMINATION LAWS.
   2. IN EXECUTING A FORMER FOSTER YOUTH PRIORITY PROGRAM, THE  NEW  YORK
 CITY DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING PRESERVATION AND DEVELOPMENT AND THE NEW YORK
 CITY  HOUSING  DEVELOPMENT  CORPORATION SHALL CONDUCT AN ANALYSIS OF THE
 PROGRAM, IN ORDER TO EVALUATE AND ANALYZE THE PROGRAM'S IMPACT ON FORMER
 S. 10121                            3
 
 FOSTER  YOUTH.  SUCH  ANALYSIS  SHALL  CAPTURE  DEMOGRAPHIC  INFORMATION
 INCLUDING  AGE,  RACE,  EMPLOYMENT STATUS, AND EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT OF
 THOSE WHO ENTER AND EXIT HOUSING THROUGH THE FORMER FOSTER YOUTH PRIORI-
 TY PROGRAM AND SHALL ALSO INCORPORATE EXIT SURVEYS IDENTIFYING POST-TEN-
 ANCY HOUSING OUTCOMES FOR PARTICIPATING INDIVIDUALS. THE RESULTS OF SUCH
 ANALYSIS  SHALL  BE PUBLISHED IN A PUBLICLY ACCESSIBLE FORMAT, AND SHALL
 INCLUDE STATISTICS REGARDING: (A) THE NUMBER OF APPLICATIONS FOR HOUSING
 UNDER THE FORMER FOSTER YOUTH PRIORITY PROGRAM; (B) THE NUMBER OF AWARDS
 MADE UNDER THE FORMER FOSTER YOUTH PRIORITY PROGRAM; (C) NON-IDENTIFYING
 DEMOGRAPHIC BREAKDOWNS OF FORMER FOSTER YOUTH PRIORITY  PROGRAM  PARTIC-
 IPANTS;  AND  (D) ANY RECOMMENDED MODIFICATIONS TO THE PROGRAM TO ENSURE
 FAIRNESS AND EFFECTIVENESS.
   § 3. Severability. If any clause, sentence, paragraph, section or part
 of this act shall be adjudged by any court of competent jurisdiction  to
 be  invalid  and  after  exhaustion  of all further judicial review, the
 judgment shall not affect, impair or invalidate the  remainder  thereof,
 but  shall  be  confined in its operation to the clause, sentence, para-
 graph, section or part of this act directly involved in the  controversy
 in which the judgment shall have been rendered.
   § 4. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after
 it shall have become a law.