Housing Services
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Mission and Background
The Office of Housing Services was established in 2004 to create housing opportunities for homeless New Yorkers with serious mental hygiene disorders so that they may live independently in the community. In coordination with other government agencies and not-for-profit organizations, we promote the development of supportive housing, which combines affordable housing with supportive, recovery-oriented services.
Most supportive housing funded by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) is located in single-site buildings, although some programs are also located in scattered-site apartments spread throughout a community. DOHMH’s supportive housing is permanent, and tenants pay up to 30% of their income toward rent and utilities. The units typically are integrated with other affordable apartments for residents from the community without special needs.
The Office of Housing Services contracts with supportive housing providers to ensure the provision of or referrals to voluntary, individually tailored services for residents, which may include:
- Case management services
- Primary medical and mental health care
- Drug and alcohol abuse treatment
- Educational, vocational and other recovery-oriented services
- Medication management and counseling
- Assistance in gaining access to government benefits
- Referrals to providers in the community for other needed services
Supportive housing is the proven cost-effective solution to homelessness, as it is less costly to provide permanent housing than to expend resources on emergency care, such as shelters, hospitals and prisons. Studies have shown that an adult who is homeless and mentally ill in New York City uses an average of $40,449 in publicly funded services per year. The cost of one night in supportive housing is just $41 as compared to a night in shelter ($54.42), state prison ($74), city jail ($164.57), a mental hospital ($467), or a hospital ($1,185).
DOHMH currently funds the services and rental subsidies in over 3,300 units of supportive housing across New York City, and another 5,000 units are in development and scheduled to open over the next 10 years. The recently signed New York/New York III Supportive Housing agreement between New York City and New York State will create a total of 9,000 new units of supportive housing over the next ten years, and together with the units currently in development, will significantly increase the existing stock of supportive housing available today.
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Initiatives
- Create 9,000 new units of supportive housing under NY/NY III. In November, 2005, Mayor Bloomberg and Governor Pataki signed the New York/New York III agreement to create 9,000 new units of supportive housing in New York City over the next ten years. Read more about NY/NY III.
- End chronic homelessness. In June, 2004, Mayor Bloomberg unveiled Uniting for Solutions Beyond Shelter, a five-year plan to end chronic homelessness in New York City, a key component of which is to reduce the street homeless census by 2/3 by 2009. Many of the 3,843 homeless adults currently living on the streets or in other public places suffer from a serious and persistent mental illness and/or substance addiction. The challenge facing the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene through the Office of Housing Services is to make supportive housing and other long-term residential settings accessible to chronically street homeless individuals. Read the Mayor's Plan to End Chronic Homelessness, "Uniting for Solutions Beyond Shelter," June 2004
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RFPS and Concept Reports
Concept reports, requests for proposals (RFP) and other information related to the process on which contractors may bid to provide NY/NY III housing will be posted here on an ongoing basis. Contractors should visit this section for updates.
Other Resources
- The Fannie Mae Foundation’s Housing Policy Debate published the University of Pennsylvania’s supportive housing cost study, illustrating the public service cost savings associated with the placement of homeless persons with severe mental illness in New York/New York supportive housing. View the report.
- HPD's Division of Special Needs Housing - Special Needs Housing is responsible for the Supportive Housing Loan Program, a key vehicle to provide quality permanent housing with on-site services for homeless adults with special needs. The Division is responsible for the department’s involvement in housing for the low-income elderly and determining how the department can best meet the future needs of other populations with special needs. Visit HPD's Supportive Housing Loan Program website.
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Contact Information
Office of Housing Services
93 Worth Street, Suite 611
New York, NY 10013
212-219-5181 phone
212-219-5192 fax
lgrund@health.nyc.gov
