Squadron Welcomes Governor's Approval of Legislation to Make Affordable Housing More Accessible

NEW YORK -- Today, State Senator Daniel Squadron welcomed the news that Governor Cuomo has signed Squadron's legislation to make the Mitchell-Lama Housing Program more accessible to middle class families.

Squadron released the following statement:

"Now, thanks to our legislation, more families will have the chance to make a life here, no matter what their family looks like. This is a big win for New Yorkers, especially as our city faces an affordability crisis.

"The Mitchell-Lama program was created to ensure that more New Yorkers have access to middle class and affordable housing -- so that fewer New Yorkers, including cops, teachers, and firefighters, are not driven out.

"Thank you to the Governor for signing our bill into law. And I am grateful to Speaker Silver and Assemblywoman Millman for their vital leadership, and to Cadman Towers tenant leader Toba Potosky, who came to me with this idea and helped make it a reality."

Currently, families with two or more dependents -- whose joint annual net income exceeds 100% but is below 125% of average median income (AMI) -- are eligible for Mitchell-Lama housing if they pay a rental surcharge. However, the allowance is only available to families with dependents -- which means many families are excluded simply because they don’t have children.

The legislation signed into law today, sponsored by Squadron and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and co-sponsored by Assemblymember Joan Millman (S226/A5438), eliminates this requirement, making Mitchell-Lama housing developments accessible to a greater number of families regardless of whether they have dependents -- allowing families with a broader range of income levels and family compositions than are currently eligible to become part of the Mitchell-Lama community.

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