Senator Sean Ryan Announces Inclusion Of Upstate Housing Plan In Senate One-House Budget

BUFFALO – Today, March 12, 2024, New York State Senator Sean Ryan announced that the one-house budget resolution passed by the Senate Democratic Majority includes three bills introduced by Senator Ryan to address the housing affordability crisis in Buffalo and other cities throughout Upstate New York. 

The proposed budget includes two bills that establish pilot programs proposed by Senator Ryan that will add more safe and affordable housing units to the market by incentivizing infill housing and helping small landlords rehabilitate dormant rental units. It also includes Senator Ryan’s bill to make it easier for renters to access emergency rental assistance.

The full Senate Majority One-House State Budget Resolution can be found here. The following items are included in the Senate’s proposed budget.

• $40 million for the construction of one- and two-family homes in Buffalo, Albany, Syracuse, Rochester, and Binghamton (S.8585A)
• $40 million to provide grants to help owners of five or fewer units bring dilapidated apartments up to code as affordable rentals throughout Upstate New York (S.8591)
• An amendment to the social services law that removes unnecessarily burdensome restrictions that prevent renters in New York from accessing funds from programs like Emergency Assistance for Adults and Emergency Assistance for Families (S.8622A)

These proposals are all components of The City of Good Neighborhoods, a comprehensive, community-focused plan introduced by Senator Ryan in January to address the shortage of high-quality, affordable housing in Buffalo and across Upstate New York.

Senator Sean Ryan said, “Every city in New York is dealing with a housing affordability crisis, but the challenges facing upstate cities are very different than the challenges facing New York City. If we want to fix this problem statewide, we need to start by devising solutions tailored to the underlying problems that are causing each region’s issues. We have already seen that the market isn’t going to produce the housing we need in cities like Buffalo. By building more houses and getting apartments back on the market, these programs will provide two key components to stabilizing the housing market in upstate cities.”