HPD commissioner stresses preservation, vouchers and urgent funding needs for shelters and preservation
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Summary
HPD leadership told the council HPD will aim to build and preserve housing faster while protecting tenants and using enforcement against bad actors; commissioners highlighted vacancies, reliance on federal funds and constraints on issuing new Section 8 vouchers.
New York — At the Committee on Housing and Buildings' March 24 hearing, senior HPD officials presented the agency’s FY27 priorities and stressed the twin aims of accelerating housing production while stabilizing and preserving existing affordable homes.
HPD’s testimony described a FY27 expense budget just over $1.4 billion and a capital program of roughly $2.9 billion for 2027, with a 10‑year plan that the agency said totals about $22.6 billion. The commissioner said nearly three quarters of HPD’s expense budget is federally funded and warned that federal resources are "irreplaceable and must be maintained."
"We must build more housing across every neighborhood in every borough, and we must do so at a faster pace," HPD leadership said, adding that preservation of existing affordable housing and tenant protections would remain central priorities.
HPD reported it financed or supported nearly 30,000 affordable homes in 2025, including about 13,500 new construction units and just over 16,000 preserved units; it said roughly 2,500 units served extremely low‑income households. The agency also said it currently operates with about 2,400 staff and roughly 431 vacancies (around a 15% vacancy rate), and it noted that some programs remain constrained by HUD shortfalls affecting voucher issuance.
On homelessness and emergency housing, HPD said average lengths of stay in emergency housing increased in recent months and that the agency will prioritize roughly 330 housing access vouchers from the state HAVP allocation for shelter residents while staffing up to administer the program.
Council members pressed HPD on the capital commitment plan, funding for preservation, whether the agency can meet newly enacted local requirements (including a 4% homeownership target in new construction) and details about how City of Yes commitments are being implemented; HPD promised follow‑up on specific capital draws, staff line items, and the composition of the agency’s preservation pipeline.
In public testimony that followed, advocates urged Council investment in preservation funds, targeted deeply affordable construction for extremely low‑income households, and expanded support for community land trusts and tenant legal services — items HPD acknowledged as priorities that will need sustained funding.
The hearing closed with multiple requests for follow‑up materials, including HPD responses on capital drawdowns, voucher issuance changes, and program staffing plans.
