Affordable‑housing providers and public housing authorities described a fiscal squeeze that they say threatens preservation and development across New York.

Speakers from NYC HPD, non‑profit owners and trade groups presented survey and portfolio data showing rapid premium increases — in some cases 100% or more over recent years — and rising liability costs hitting multifamily and subsidized housing particularly hard. Witnesses said increases are forcing some owners to draw reserves, delay capital work, increase subsidies for new construction and in extreme cases consider selling buildings.

Recommended responses included: a state administered excess reinsurance trust or risk‑sharing pool for affordable properties; expanded funding and technical assistance to help owners join captives or insurance pools; grant programs for building‑level mitigation (water sensors, fortified roofing, cameras) coupled with insurer crediting; short‑term relief funds for struggling buildings; and stronger enforcement of anti‑discrimination statutes banning rate/coverage decisions based on subsidy status. Providers also urged improved data collection to target interventions and pilot programs (for example, temporary scaffold‑law carve‑outs) to assess liability reforms.

Housing officials said the issue is urgent: higher insurance costs add thousands of dollars of subsidy need per new affordable unit and are already producing negative operating cash flow across a large share of existing projects. They called for near‑term relief and longer‑term market fixes.