HRA staff outline Housing Trust Fund balances and one-time programs; commissioners request spending history and implementation details

Deputy Director Green presented an overview of the Housing Trust Fund’s purpose, cumulative investments and planned uses, and commissioners pressed staff for clearer line-item history and implementation details for programs now in contingency.

Green said the Housing Trust Fund (established several years ago) is a special fund the city uses to support housing over time rather than through annual allocations. She said the fund’s initial and subsequent sources included loans, the STAR fund, bonds and revenue from the World Trade Center parking fund. Green said total commitments to date are roughly $21 million and that the 2025 projected contribution coming from the World Trade Center parking fund is about $562,000.

Staff displayed a table of prior allocations and noted the fund’s uses have shifted over time; the presentation listed historic commitments (including down-payment assistance and other pilot programs), current uses (homeowner rehab, staff positions and down-payment assistance when funded) and several one-time 2025 programs such as permit-fee waivers for office-to-housing conversions and other pilots placed in contingency pending further decisions.

Commissioners asked for clarity on the worksheet’s arithmetic and the meaning of columns labeled “budget allocated,” “projected 2025 actual” and “allocated balance.” Green explained that the $21 million total reflects historical contributions and that earlier years’ amounts (2019–2020) appear in the full accounting even if not visible on the slide; she said projected 2025 actual spending would be about $4.4 million in the commissioner’s example and that the “allocated balance” column shows what would remain if planned allocations and projected 2025 spending occur.

Commissioners requested more context on several line items that predated current staff, including why particular pilots ended, which programs were repurposed during COVID and where large earlier withdrawals (for example, relocation or winter-safe-space items discussed by commissioners) went. Green and directors said staff will provide historical detail on those items.

Several commissioners raised implementation and staffing questions: whether three FTEs included in contingency for the Department of Safety and Inspections (DSI) were intended solely for office-to-housing conversion permitting or for broader developer-permitting capacity; and whether slow permitting is the result of insufficient staff, process inefficiencies or both. Staff said they will follow up with DSI and other departments on scope and needs and stressed that implementation of new programs often requires either temporary or permanent staffing and time to stand up new payment and administrative systems.

On tenant protections, commissioners noted the ordinance has passed and asked which office is responsible for implementation; staff said the ordinance names the Office of Financial Empowerment as responsible and that coordination with other departments will be necessary. Commissioners asked for a report on who will implement the ordinance and whether the budgeted resources in contingency are sufficient to support implementation.

Deputy Director Green listed current projects in progress and noted actual expenditures for many new 2025 programs were still zero at the time of the presentation because departments are still establishing guidelines, staff and payment systems; Green said staff expect to fully expend the planned amounts by year-end if programs proceed as planned.

Commissioners requested follow-up material before the HRA’s July briefing: (1) a line-by-line history of Housing Trust Fund allocations and re-allocations since the fund’s creation; (2) clarification of the 2019–2020 line items not shown on the slide; (3) scope and staffing plans for DSI permit FTEs; and (4) status updates for programs that showed no spending (for example, Families First pilot, Catholic Charities operational support and any paused down-payment assistance). Green and directors agreed to provide the requested details at a future meeting.

Ending: The HRA moved on to adjournment after the presentation; staff committed to return with detailed budget-to-actual updates and implementation plans.