Senator Rachel May’s Bill to Help Seniors Age at Home Signed into Law

Senator Rachel May’s (Syracuse, Cayuga County) Naturally Occurring Retirement Community or NORC bill (S3392) was signed into law by Governor Kathy Hochul. The law expands building and neighborhood eligibility and clarifies the process for when NORCs wind down.

Naturally occurring retirement communities are a New York state invention. They started in some of the high-rise apartment buildings in New York City, where many families moved in at the same time. Having stayed in the apartments for years, tenants were aging together. Eventually, having a critical mass, tenants could remain in their homes instead of moving to an assisted care facility by bringing in services for older adults.

Senator May’s bill allows for buildings taller than six stories to be included in neighborhood NORCS and instructs the director to provide information to residents of NORCs that are no longer funded. Senator May’s bill will enable tenants or homeowners in smaller cities without high-rise buildings to create NORCS in their buildings or neighborhoods.

Senator Rachel May - “I am very proud that we are now opening up this innovation, this wonderful New York tradition, to some of our smaller cities and communities all across the state that may look a little different from the communities where they originally started. Thank you, Governor Hochul, for signing my NORC bill. It will help ensure that older adults in our community can age in a familiar and comfortable place surrounded by family and friends.”