Supportive Housing Services

The AIDS Institute funds housing retention and financial assistance services with the goal of obtaining and maintaining safe, appropriate, and affordable housing. Services support individuals with developing the skills needed to remain in stable housing, to engage in and maintain medical care, and to live independently. 

Medicaid Redesign Team (MRT) Long-Term Rental Assistance and Housing Retention Services

This program provides long-term rental assistance and housing retention services to high-need Medicaid beneficiaries living with HIV/AIDS as well as other morbidities, who are homeless, unstably housed, or at high risk of becoming homeless, and who live outside of New York City. Services include, but are not limited to:

  • Long-Term Rental Subsidy – provide financial support for housing, which will enable the individual/family to maintain stable housing and/or maintain medical care.  Long-term rental assistance provides financial assistance to pay for a portion of an eligible client’s rent until the client is able to acquire the skills and stability needed to successfully achieve independent living. Clients are expected to obtain and maintain federal and/or state benefits and contribute 30% of their adjusted monthly income. Other types of financial support include broker fees, one-time emergency utility assistance, security deposit, moving assistance, household and hygiene items. Educational services such as independent living skills (e.g., budgeting, parenting, tenant property management), health education, nutrition education, and vocational readiness education.
  • Referrals to support services including case/care management, behavioral health, food/nutrition, and employment.
  • Collaboration with case/care manager to ensure care coordination; and
  • Case conferencing with other service providers including care managers, health care providers, substance use providers and/or mental health providers.
  • Peer-Delivered Services – may include but are not limited to individual supportive counseling, assistance with client education, and escorting clients to medical and/or housing retention appointments.  Peer-delivered services are a formalized program in which Peers function as part of the housing retention services team.

Empire State Supportive Housing Initiative (ESSHI)

This program provides the funding needed to operate and provide rental assistance and housing retention services to eligible target populations so that they remain stably housed in permanent supportive housing units. The eligible target populations to be served under this program are families with a qualifying individual, individuals and/or young adults who are both homeless and who are identified as having an unmet housing need, and have one or more disabling conditions or other life challenges, including:

  • Serious mental illness;
  • Substance use disorder;
  • Persons living with HIV or AIDS;
  • Victims/survivors of domestic violence;
  • Military service with disabilities (including veterans with other than honorable discharge);
  • Chronic homelessness as defined by HUD (including families, and individuals experiencing street homelessness or long-term shelter stays);
  • Youth/young adults who left foster care within the prior five years and who were in foster care at or over age 16;
  • Homeless young adults between 18 and 25 years old;
  • Reentry:  Adults, youth or young adults reentering the community from prison or juvenile justice placement, particularly those with disabling conditions
  • Seniors:  Individuals who are age 55 and older, enrolled in Medicaid, and has either a, chronic condition, physical disability, or requires assistance with one or more instrumental activities of daily living; and
  • Individuals with Intellectual/Development Disabilities (I/DD).

Services assist eligible families, individuals and young adults to live independently and remain stably housed, and may include but are not limited to:

  • Promoting access to and engagement in primary health services;
  • Promoting access to and engagement in behavioral health services;
  • Housing case management;
  • Counseling and crisis intervention;
  • Legal system advocacy and court assistance;
  • Parenting skills development and support;
  • Life skills training and support; and
  • Transportation assistance for needed services/entitlements.

New York/New York III Supportive Housing Agreement

The New York/New York III (NY/NYIII) Supportive Housing program is a cooperative agreement originally signed on November 3, 2005 by five City and five State agencies to provide 9,000 new units of supportive housing in New York City to chronically homeless populations, including those with HIV/AIDS. The overall goal of this initiative is to reduce homelessness and provide safe and affordable housing and supportive services to clients who meet the eligibility criteria.

The AIDS Institute is responsible for the development of a total of 500 supportive housing units -- 300 congregate and 200 scatter-site. The AIDS Institute and the New York City Human Resources Administration (HRA) HIV/AIDS Services Administration (HASA) have entered into a cooperative agreement for HRA HASA to directly manage this NYC-based supportive housing initiative.

Those eligible for these supportive housing units are chronically homeless single adults (or single adults who are at serious risk of street or sheltered homelessness) who are persons living with HIV/AIDS, and who are clients of HASA receiving cash assistance, and who suffer from a co-occurring serious and persistent mental illness, a substance abuse disorder, or a Mentally Ill Chemically Abusing (MICA) disorder.

Home & Community-Based Services (HCBS) Setting Compliance and Final Rule

In 2014, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) publiced the HCBS Final Rule related to Medicaid-funded Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS). This rule implements a number of changes to home and community-based waivers and imposes new requirements on what is considered an appropriate home and community-based setting for all the authorities in its scope. All AIDS Institute supportive housing programs must be compliant with the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services HCBS Federal Settings Rule (42 CFR 441.301, et. seq.). More information about the AIDS Institute's HCBS Guidance can be found in the Supportive Housing Initiative Standards below.

More information can be found at; https://www.health.ny.gov/health_care/medicaid/redesign/home_community_based_settings.htm

Contact:

AI_Housing@health.ny.gov