SUBJECT:

PURPOSE:

New York, NY

Thursday
December 4, 2008
1:00 p.m.
Assembly Hearing Room
Room 1923, 19th Floor
250 Broadway

The State of New York funds many programs that relate to affordable housing. The current economic crisis is affecting the utility of financing mechanisms traditionally used to fund the creation of affordable housing. In addition, increases in the costs of water, fuel, and sewage services are contributing to a rise in the costs of affordable housing. This hearing will explore these issues and focus on ways to address them through legislation.

Please see the next page for a list of subjects to which witnesses may direct their testimony, and for a description of the bills which will be discussed at the hearing.

Persons wishing to present pertinent testimony to the Committee at the above hearing should complete and return the enclosed reply form as soon as possible. It is important that the reply form be fully completed and returned so that persons may be notified in the event of emergency postponement or cancellation.

Oral testimony will be limited to 10 minutes duration. In preparing the order of witnesses, the Committee will attempt to accommodate individual requests to speak at particular times in view of special circumstances. These requests should be made on the attached reply form or communicated to Committee staff as early as possible.

Ten copies of any prepared testimony should be submitted at the hearing registration desk. The Committee would appreciate advance receipt of prepared statements.

In order to further publicize these hearings, please inform interested parties and organizations of the Committee's interest in hearing testimony from all sources.

In order to meet the needs of those who may have a disability, the Assembly, in accordance with its policy of non-discrimination on the basis of disability, as well as the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), has made its facilities and services available to all individuals with disabilities. For individuals with disabilities, accommodations will be provided, upon reasonable request, to afford such individuals access and admission to Assembly facilities and activities.

SELECTED ISSUES TO WHICH WITNESSES MAY DIRECT THEIR TESTIMONY:

1. What impact has the current economic crisis had on the cost of affordable housing? What effect has this impact had on the state programs that subsidize construction and rehabilitation of affordable housing? Has the number of applications to state programs, such as the Low Income Housing Trust Fund and programs administered by SONYMA and HFA, increased or decreased?

2. Has the current economic crisis prompted changes in the methods of financing affordable housing?

3. Has the current economic crisis affected the rate at which affordable housing is constructed and made available to those who need it? In what ways?

4. Have water and sewage service costs been affected by the economic crisis? In what way?

5. Do the increases in the cost of fuel increase the construction costs of affordable housing?

PUBLIC HEARING REPLY FORM

Persons wishing to present testimony at the public hearing on budget implementation and affordable housing are requested to complete this reply form as soon as possible and mail, e-mail or fax it to:

Anthony Kergaravat
Legislative Associate
Assembly Committee on Housing
Alfred E. Smith Bldg., 22nd Floor
Albany, New York 12248
E-mail: kergaravata@assembly.state.ny.us
Phone: (518) 455-4355
Fax: (518) 455-7250

I will require assistance and/or handicapped accessibility information. Please specify the type of assistance required: