FAIR HOUSING: NY State Releases Report That Includes Goals to Address Persistent Segregated Living Patterns, Unequal Access to Community Resources

ALBANY—In conjunction with National Fair Housing Month, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced on April 26 the release of the latest Fair Housing Matters NY initiative, a comprehensive assessment of fair housing in New York State and a new online mapping tool that illustrates how fair housing issues are impacting New Yorkers across the state.

The report, which was first released for public comment last year, reviewed seven key fair housing issues and established a series of goals and action items to address housing disparities experienced by vulnerable groups and those protected under fair housing laws. The governor also issued a proclamation commemorating April as Fair Housing Month in New York State.

“Each April, it’s important we raise awareness about the crucial role fair housing laws play in promoting equality, fostering economic opportunity, and addressing historical injustices in New York and across the nation,” Gov. Hochul said. “Today, despite the progress that has been made since the passage of the Fair Housing Act in 1968, we continue to confront the reality of inequalities in our society. My administration is taking a multi-pronged approach to ensure New Yorkers can live where they choose, can build wealth through homeownership and can access economic opportunity for themselves and their families.”

Drafted by New York State Homes and Community Renewal, the Fair Housing Matters NY report and the accompanying snapshot tool are based on quantitative data and were finalized after a public comment period that included input from community leaders, nonprofit organizations, housing professionals, and residents, state officials said.

The report shows that while New York is becoming increasingly diverse, it reveals that living patterns, access to community resources, affordable housing, and homeownership remain divided along race and ethnic lines. Segregation is not only based on race—older adults, those with limited English proficiencies, and those with disabilities also find themselves concentrated in areas of poverty with access to fewer community resources.

The report identified eight goals and a multitude of action items that represent ways New York can create more access to housing through a combination of market-driven, regulatory, financial and administrative changes.

The eight goals are:

1. Build upon opportunities for wealth creation through affordable home ownership.
2. Increase access to suitable affordable housing for those with disabilities.
3. Create more affordable housing with avenues for community support.
4. Remove barriers to housing by addressing redlining and disinvestment in neighborhoods.
5. Increase access to affordable housing by addressing barriers to housing choice.
6. Increase access to affordable housing through fair housing education and enforcement.
7. Promote development of affordable housing in areas where land use and development regulations provide barriers.
8. Implement environmental justice principles in state-funded housing in response to climate change.

Several of the measures identified in the report are currently being implemented by the state. Those include initiatives such as HCR’s Making Moves program, which helps households with Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers move to affordable homes in neighborhoods of their choice; and the Credit is Due homeownership program, available through the State of New York Mortgage Agency, which is addressing racial disparities in homeownership by increasing access to mortgages for minority homebuyers.

New York State Homes and Community Renewal Commissioner RuthAnne Visnauskas said, “The Fair Housing Matters NY report and interactive maps are critical to understanding the extent to which segregated housing practices have shut people out of the homes they deserve. By analyzing disparities and gaining valuable input from communities and stakeholders, we can better understand the obstacles that too many New Yorkers face when buying or renting a home in the community they choose. We can then implement strategies to tear these obstacles down. I am proud of my team at HCR for their dedication to our mission, and I’m grateful to Governor Hochul for her leadership as we work to preserve the right to fair housing in New York.

The governor announced a $2.2-million expansion of New York's Fair Housing Testing Program designed to root out discrimination in home rental and sale transactions. New York is partnering with six nonprofit organizations across the state to deploy undercover testers to act as potential renters and home seekers. The expansion has increased the state's ability to proactively investigate suspected housing discrimination and to enhance education and outreach efforts on fair housing rights and requirements to landlords, tenants, real estate professionals, and local governments.

In December 2022, the governor announced a Department of Financial Services report that found continued racial disparities in mortgage lending practices on Long Island, in Rochester and Syracuse. The report was part of an ongoing statewide inquiry into redlining and followed another DFS study that identified redlining and other forms of housing discrimination by mortgage lenders, particularly non-depository lenders, in majority-minority neighborhoods in Buffalo.

The governor has also signed landmark legislation to increase protections for New Yorkers against housing discrimination.

Last year, she signed legislation to extend the statute of limitations for New Yorkers to file a complaint with DHR, allowing unlawful housing discrimination claims for incidents occurring on or after February 15, 2024, to be filed within three years of the alleged discrimination. The governor also signed a package of nine fair housing bills designed to combat discriminatory housing practices that persist around the state, including legislation to increase penalties for unlawful housing discrimination; create a fund to support fair housing testing; and expand required training for real estate professionals on subjects such as legacy of segregation, unequal treatment, and historic lack of access to housing opportunities.

As part of the FY 2025 Enacted Budget, Gov. Hochul has also advanced legislation to prohibit insurance carriers from inquiring about or considering tenants' source of income, the existence of affordable dwelling units, or the receipt of governmental housing assistance in the decision to issue or continue to provide insurance for residential real property. This new legislation will help ensure affordable housing providers have access to reasonably-priced insurance, which in turn will help avoid rent increases for tenants.

The governor will also establish a new enforcement unit dedicated to swift resolution of complaints about housing discrimination related to Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers, helping to place impacted individuals and families in available housing to which they had been impermissibly denied access based on their vouchers.

New Yorkers who experience unlawful discrimination in housing can file a complaint with DHR online or by calling 1-888-392-3644.

To read the full report and view the maps go to: https://hcr.ny.gov/fairhousingmattersny