HUNTINGTON, NY – Apr 4, 2024 – The Huntington Township Housing Coalition (HTHC), a nonprofit advocacy organization that promotes expansion of affordable housing in the Town of Huntington, is calling upon the New York State Legislature to pass the Faith-Based Affordable Housing Act, which would enable religious organizations to develop housing on their property.
Largely modeled on the successes of California’s Affordable Housing on Faith Lands Act, the bill (A-8386 and S-7791) would help create substantial affordable housing on what is typically untaxed land. According to data from the NYU Furman Center, as much as 4.6 billion square feet of housing could be unlocked across the state through the passage of this legislation.
On Long Island, the bill would require that 20 percent of the housing units be affordable for a range of incomes at or below 80 percent of the region’s area median income. For a family of four, this would amount to between about $40,000 and $90,000 a year.
Participating houses of worship would be provided with comprehensive training and financial support through pre-development grant funding. A faith-based organization could manage the housing itself or lease the land to a third-party developer. Participating entities could use revenue from the housing as they pleased. The housing would be taxed like any other development and would not be subject to religious exemptions.
“This timely legislation would leverage the unique strengths of faith communities to help Long Island overcome our severe housing shortage,” said Roger Weaving, president of HTHC. “The law would allow faith-based entities to leverage their underutilized lands to help Long Island overcome one of its most serious challenges.
“Legislation would benefit faith-based organizations in multiple ways,” Mr. Weaving said. “It would enable them to strengthen their financial footing, stabilize both their physical properties and their operations, and help ensure their vibrant role within their communities for decades to come.”
If passed, the proposal would allow religious institutions like temples, churches, mosques, and synagogues “to bypass local zoning laws that restrict their ability to develop their land,” as long as that new development includes affordable housing.
According to a recent Pew Research report, 75 percent of New Yorkers support a form of faith-based housing.
The bill has attracted bipartisan support on Long Island, including from Republican Assemblymember Jodi Giglio and Democratic Assemblymember Fred Thiele.
“An acute housing shortage has cast a looming shadow” over Long Island, according to a December 2023 report by Bohler, a national real estate consulting firm. “Outdated apartments dot the landscape, with only 17.1 percent and 16.1 percent of Suffolk and Nassau counties allocated for rentals, respectively – falling well below the nationwide figure of 34.6 percent.”
“The significance of the shortage transcends mere numbers,” Bohler reports. “It strikes at the core of the region’s workforce, creating a financial divide for many. A staggering 64 percent of Long Island renters find themselves unable to afford a typical two-bedroom apartment.”
“The future of our regional economy is directly linked to our capacity to expand housing availability,” said Mr. Weaving. “To keep young professionals living and working here on Long Island, they need access to housing.”
The Long Island Association, the region’s largest business advocacy organization, has made housing availability one of its policy priorities for 2024, calling for the creation of “more available and affordable housing by providing incentives to municipalities, residents, and developers and to streamline the environmental and permitting process for builders.”
According to a published report, the Long Island Regional Economic Development Council has stated that the rate of housing production in Nassau and Suffolk falls short of other suburbs at only seven units built per 1,000 residents in the past ten years, compared with 13 units per 1,000 residents in the Hudson Valley and 35 in northern New Jersey.
About the Huntington Township Housing Coalition
The Huntington Township Housing Coalition is a nonprofit, advocacy organization that encourages the development of affordable new and rehabilitated homes, both rental and ownership, for low- and moderate-income individuals and families in the Town of Huntington. The coalition assesses and documents the degree of need; educates the public; identifies, monitors, and promotes affordable housing opportunities; and collaborates with a range of public and private organizations.
Media contact:
Roger Weaving
Huntington Township Housing Coalition
631-793-1643
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