March 5, 2012 Hon.

Sheldon Silver Speaker of the Assembly State of New York LOB Room 932 Albany, NY 12248 Dear Speaker Silver: I am writing to express my strong support for including legislation (A.6275) that would prevent homeless for thousands of New Yorkers living with HIV/AIDS (and save New York taxpayers millions in unnecessary shelter costs and emergency healthcare expenditures) through an affordable housing 30% rent cap in the Article VII language of the Assembly budget bill. The primary housing program for poor New Yorkers living with HIV/AIDS is tenantbased rental assistance. Unlike other similar low-income housing programs, however, the HIV/AIDS rental assistance program put in place in the 1980s did not include an affordable housing protection. All other state disability housing programs and all federally funded housing assistance such as Section 8 and public housing cap the tenant's rent contribution at 30% of income. In contrast, permanently disabled New Yorkers living with HIV/AIDS who receive rental assistance through the HIV/AIDS Services Administration (HASA), a division of the Human Resources Administration (HRA), are required to pay upwards of 70% or more of their federal disability income (SSI, SSDI or Veterans benefits) towards their rent. HASA clients in the program are budgeted to retain only $359 per month regardless of their individual level of disability income. HUD defines payment of more than half of income towards rent as severe rent burden. This legislation will ensure that HASA clients pay no more than 30% of their limited disability income towards their rent. By reducing costly arrears, housing loss and emergency shelter placements into commercial SRO hotels, this bill will enable us to realize direct and immediate cost savings. The savings multiply as additional HIV-related health costs and new infections are prevented, significantly reducing Medicaid expenditures. Research has repeatedly demonstrated that increased housing stability is strongly associated with sharp reductions in the medical costs of managing the epidemic. The reality is that HASAs current policy results in unnecessary costs by forcing too many clients into the expensive arrears process and emergency housing, which HASA is also obligated to pay for. By preventing housing loss, and redirecting spending from emergency housing to ongoing rental assistance, this bill can actually save New York money during a period of fiscal crisis. The increased housing stability produced through this legislation would reduce rent arrears payments and costly evictions, and keep more people with HIV/AIDS in independent housing instead of expensive, substandard commercial SRO hotels.

It is important to note that the bill is cost-neutral without even taking into account expected savings in health costs attributable to avoidable emergency and acute care among unstably housed people living with HIV/AIDS, and prevented HIV infections. By averting just a third of emergency housing placements by keeping disabled PLWHA in their own affordable housing, the bill will pay for itself. Savings multiply as additional HIV-related health costs and new infections are prevented. This legislation presents a rare opportunity to save lives by ensuring stable and affordable housing for vulnerable fellow New Yorkers and save our city and state money by making our HIV/AIDS rental assistance program more efficient. Sincerely,