Proposed law would provide service-disabled vets same housing benefits as poorest New Yorkers

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — A piece of state legislation would provide veterans with service-related disabilities access to housing benefits meant for the poorest New Yorkers.

The bill, introduced by State Sen. Jessica Scarcella Spanton (D-North Shore/Southern Brooklyn), unanimously passed the State Senate Tuesday, but still needs to make its way through the Assembly and past the desk of Gov. Kathy Hochul.

If the legislation passes, veterans of the U.S. armed forces with service-related disabilities in New York could access funds available in affordable home ownership development programs around the state, which are currently reserved for the poorest New Yorkers.

"I’m proud that my legislation extending eligibility for the Affordable Home Ownership Development Program to assist disabled veterans in purchasing homes has passed in the Senate,” Scarcella-Spanton, who serves as chair of the Veterans, Homeland Security, and Military Affairs Committee said. “Our veterans have made immense sacrifices to safeguard our freedoms, making it essential that we support them through initiatives like this one, which can aid in their transition and provide stable housing for them and their families in the years ahead.”

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