At the Colonie Town Board meeting on Thursday, Oct. 23, a public hearing was held to approve the budget and plan for Colonie’s subsidized housing program, a town program with a $1.95 million budget that aims to provide safe and sanitary housing to the elderly, disabled and families with very low incomes.
The Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program falls under the supervision of the Town’s Community Development Department and has been run by Joseph E. Mastrianni, Inc., since 1979.
“We have a very diversified population,” said Town Supervisor Paula Mahan. “What many people don’t know is that we do have a population that has certain needs, which we do our best to meet. As the years go on, that population grows.”
The funding for the Community Development Department comes from the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development, which funds the Voucher Program, along with programs under Community Development’s Block Grant.
This year, the Voucher Program’s budget was $1.95 million, down $50,000 from last year. It allows for 365 housing vouchers with 329 families currently receiving assistance and a waiting list of 590 applicants, 287 of which are Colonie residents.
“People fill out a preliminary application. Then, they receive a confirmation letter and go on the waiting list. No one receives immediate assistance,” said Nancy Andriano, Community Development’s Program Coordinator. “Once they’re reached on the waiting list, they are given a letter, which is when the income process starts.”
The waiting list is created on a basis of when the applications are received, although priority is given to those who are currently Colonie residents.
The Voucher Program, Andriano said, allows people to pick an apartment on their own once their income is verified, so the subsidized housing is not in one concentrated area.
Applicants must have an income that falls below the town’s 50 percent median. A household of one person must have an income that falls below $27,450, while a household of four must have an annual gross income below $42,3000.
Section 8 ties closely in with programs run by Community Development. Jim Mastrianni said at the Town Board meeting that he has seen voucher recipients become part of the Community Development’s First Time Homebuyer Program. The program provides a $14,000 subsidy to participants to purchase a first home in Colonie that goes toward part of the monthly mortgage for 10 years. In order to apply for the program, the household’s current income cannot exceed 80 percent of the area median income.
“We want to be able to help as many people as we can, so we have to run it so efficiently,” Mahan said.
As the years go on and population grows, said Andriano, the amount of people needing assistance grows. Seniors account for 20 percent of Colonie’s population — the largest in the region, which is why such programs through Community Development are important.
Along with the Section 8 Voucher Program, Community Development includes the Residential Rehabilitation Program under the Block Grant received from the federal government.
Andriano said that 70 percent of the grant goes toward the Rehabilitation Program, which helps qualified applicants with home repairs such as heating, roofs, electrical work and window repairs to maintain the overall appearance of homes. Grants range from 40 to 100 percent of the project cost and have similar application processes as the Voucher Program.
Andriano said that program helps not only the owner of the home, but also the neighborhood and town.
“You lose one house, you lose the street. We don’t want to get to the severe statuses of the cities,” said Andriano.
Community Development also funds programs for not for profit organizations like the Colonie Youth Center and Bright Horizons, which provides assistance to low- to middle-income families.
Despite whatever financial stress the town goes through, Mahan said, “We make it a priority to maintain these programs. … This is for people who can’t satisfy basic needs on their own.”
At the Oct. 23 Town Board meeting, Mastrianni said the Voucher Program saw only nine closings last year.
Information about Community Development and its programs, including application and contact information, can be found at www.colonie.org/commdev.
