Monday, June 2, 2014

SCRIE To Be Expanded

Finally, splendid news that should be of considerable interest and assistance to our seniors and prospective seniors and a plus for affordable housing:

http://town-village.com/2014/06/02/council-backs-expansion-of-eligibility-for-scrie/

"The plan, which was first enacted in the state two months ago, would increase the maximum income a senior can have in order to qualify for the rent assistance program from $29,000 to $50,000. SCRIE (Senior Citizen Rent Increase Exemption) limits rents for people over 62 in rent-regulated housing who pay more than a third of their incomes in rent. Any rent hikes after leases are signed get paid to the landlord through a tax abatement, not by the tenants. The expansion is expected to make 22,000 additional seniors eligible for the program, Kavanagh said."

Thank you, Brian Kavanagh.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Yes. Thank you, Brian Kavanagh. This is the best news I've heard in a long time! This will certainly help many seniors who are struggling and have to decide between rent or food; rent or medication. There are many more such seniors suffering than most people realize, especially as those seniors generally don't complain as long and loud as the younger generation. This legislation will certainly take some of the hard edge off growing old and being poor in today's New York. Not everybody is fortunate enough to have a pension or a lot of savings and Social Security has certainly not kept up with the cost of living. Thus, this is literally a life-saving piece of legislation.