Supportive Housing Pilot for Seniors Survives Budget Cut

LeadingAge New York learned that the three million dollars for a pilot program to support capital initiatives and supportive service development in affordable senior housing remains intact in the final budget. We fought very hard for this initiative, and were pleased at this clarification in a meeting of the Medicaid Redesign Team Affordable Housing Work Group last week. DOH intends to pursue all of the programs and pilot projects in the spending plan, despite the five million dollar cut in funding in the final budget agreement. The cut will be addressed by a delay in spending the five million dollars, and next year’s funding remains intact.

DOH and other state agencies plan to move quickly on developing the pilot programs and getting funding distributed, ideally, by the end of the fiscal year. We anticipate this funding will be made available through a grant process and will keep members apprised of this critical initiative.

During the meeting, we also discussed social impact bonds and financing, which we are exploring as another avenue for members to receive financial support to develop cost-saving innovations. The work group will meet again in the fall to discuss next year’s budget initiatives.

Contact: Diane Darbyshire, ddarbyshire@leadingageny.org or Ken Harris, kharris@leadingageny.org, 518-867-8383