The Problem 

• New York is experiencing a dire housing and homelessness crisis, with more than half of New Yorkers facing unaffordable housing expenses each month and over 100,000 people in shelter each night.
• New York’s faith-based organizations (FBOs) are pillars of their communities and provide a significant safety net to New Yorkers.
• Many FBOs want to serve their communities by creating affordable housing on their land, but are prevented from doing so by unduly restrictive zoning.

The Solution 

• This legislation empowers religious organizations to develop mixed-income and 100% affordable housing on their land, all across New York.
• Paired with comprehensive training for congregations and financial support through pre-development grant funding, this legislation will foster community-driven projects that address New York’s dire housing shortage.
• This will also enable FBOs to secure stronger financial footing, allowing them to stabilize their physical properties and their operations, and ensure they can support their communities for decades to come.
• Passing this legislation would lead to 60,000 more homes across New York State over the next decade!

Proposed Changes 

• Enable limited, contextually appropriate, as-of-right development on land owned by religious organizations.
• Require affordable housing in ALL projects that take advantage of the new zoning.
• Facilitate training for religious institutions on affordable housing development.