The Housing Voucher Access Program is going to run as a four-year pilot program administered by the state Department of Housing and Community Renewal, New York City Housing Authority and city Department of Housing and Development, beginning on March 1, 2026 and ending on May 1, 2030.
State Sen. Brian Kavanagh and Assembly Member Linda Rosenthal, who chair their chambers’ respective housing committees and sponsored the HAVP bill, told City & State that it is their understanding that $50 million will be allocated for the program in this year’s budget will for the first year of the program, with the expectation that additional funds will need to be added in subsequent state budgets. The program will also have public reporting requirements intended to show how and whether the program is giving out vouchers, as well as various financial aspects of its operations.
Gov. Kathy Hochul surprised many when she announced that she would commit funding to the program after having shunned it for years as being too expensive. As recently as February, the governor was still saying that she believed the cost of the program was too high. But she said in late April that it became important to her…