The Honorable Carl E.

Heastie
New York State Assembly
LOB 932
Albany, NY 12248
September 27, 2016
Dear Speaker Heastie,
The undersigned coalition of affordable housing stakeholders representing affordable, supportive, and
senior housing organizations throughout New York State urge you to come to an agreement on a
memorandum of understanding (MOU) to release $2 billion in funding to support a desperately needed
statewide affordable housing plan. Nearly six months have passed since the state budget was enacted
with this funding allocated. As we continue to wait for the MOU to be finalized and signed by all three
parties, the need for affordable, senior, and supportive housing is only growing.
Our coalition very much appreciates your calling for an agreement to be adopted and the Assemblys
support for an aggressive implementation plan. The MOU proposed by the Governor provides a
framework for state investment in affordable housing that merits consideration.
Our hope is that the Governor, Assembly and Senate take immediate action on behalf of more than one
million households in New York who pay more for rent than they can afford, the 80,000 people in our
state who are homeless, the hundreds of thousands of seniors who remain on long waiting lists for
affordable housing, and homeowners struggling to hold on to their homes.

Sincerely,

AARP
Center for NYC Neighborhoods
CSH
Enterprise Community Partners
LeadingAge New York
LISC New York City
New York Housing Conference
NYSAFAH
Supportive Housing Network of New York