Housing Initiatives Across Ulster County

Addressing the housing crisis is a top priority of the County Executive and County Legislature, and we are tackling this issue comprehensively with a focus on three key areas: homelessness prevention, emergency housing, and housing creation.

For the most recent updates to these initiatives, please refer to the "Updates" section toward the bottom of this page.

HOMELESSNESS PREVENTION

With the end of COVID-19 tenant protections, many people have faced unexpected rent increases and eviction. We have a number of initiatives underway or soon-to-be underway to help keep people in their homes, including rental assistance, incentives for units to remain affordable, and legal counsel.

Affordable Rental Upgrades Program - In partnership with RUPCO and the City of Kingston, Ulster County will provide financial assistance for health, safety, and energy-efficiency upgrades for rental apartments serving low- to moderate-income renters. In exchange for grant funds, landlords will agree to keep rents at affordable levels for a period of five to seven years, depending on the amount of funding awarded. Eligible property owners can receive up to $15,000 per rental unit and no more than $30,000 per building for those buildings serving households at 61% to 80% of area median income. The program has received almost 40 applications that are currently being reviewed.

Legal Services of the Hudson Valley Eviction Prevention Counsel - Ulster County has contracted with Legal Services of the Hudson Valley for expanded capacity to assist income-qualifying residents with legal counsel and guidance throughout the eviction process. Legal Services also offers a housing counselor to help those who are evicted to locate new housing.

New York State Rental Supplement Program - The Ulster County Department of Social Services has contracted with Catholic Charities to administer the New York State Rental Supplement Program. Nearly $500,000 is available in rental assistance to eligible individuals and families, both with and without children, regardless of immigration status, who are currently experiencing homelessness or facing an imminent loss of housing.

EMERGENCY HOUSING

One of the roles of County government is to provide emergency housing assistance to residents in need. Like other counties across the state, most of these placements are in motels or hotels because of an insufficient number of shelters to meet demand. The costs of these stays are shared by the County and the State.

Because of the current housing crisis, both the number of people in need of emergency housing and the duration of their stay have increased significantly. As of December 2023, the number of individuals placed by the Department of Social Services was 428. In 2023, the average time spent by unhoused families in emergency housing due to a lack of permanent solutions had exceeded 2 years, a significant increase in length from prior years. The County has undertaken a number of measures and initiatives this year to meet growing needs and expand support for those facing housing instability and homelessness.

• New Housing and Homelessness Unit: In her proposed 2024 Executive budget, the County Executive proposed a new Homelessness and Housing Unit in the Department of Social Services to improve the experience of residents seeking or already placed in emergency housing, and connect people with other resources they may need. The unit will be led by a Special Assistant to the Commissioner and will include a Housing Specialist and Emergency Housing Resource Coordinator to provide individualized support for our unhoused residents, find the most appropriate emergency housing locations, and help them secure long-term housing in coordination with nonprofit partners. The Resource Coordinator will work primarily in the field at different emergency housing locations throughout the County, meeting people where they are and addressing needs onsite.

• Support for Families: In 2023, The County entered into a new contract with RUPCO to provide casework support to individuals and families in emergency housing, prioritizing those who have been in the emergency housing system the longest and helping to connect them to permanent housing.

• Transportation: In 2023, the County expanded its contract with Family of Woodstock to provide transportation services to people in Emergency Housing.

• Well Checks: In 2023, the County entered into a new contract with Community Action to conduct well visits at all hotels/motels used for Emergency Housing and provide food and personal hygiene supplies.

• Kingston Motel: The Ulster County Executive negotiated with the owner of the former Rodeway Inn (now Kingston Motel) for major improvements to the motel rooms and grounds, and added on-site County services with the goal of providing stable, secure, and supported emergency housing for families in need. Services include office hours by Department of Social Service staff, UCAT bus service, and regular patrols by the Sheriff’s office.

• Elizabeth Manor: The County purchased the former Elizabeth Manor boarding house in Kingston in 2021, utilizing federal ARPA funding, to renovate the property for emergency or affordable housing for Ulster County residents. In November 2023, a Request for Statements of Qualifications was released seeking proposals from non-profit organizations and developers qualified to create emergency, transitional, supportive, or affordable housing at the site.

• Warming Center: The County allocated additional funds to move the Warming Center in Kingston to enable continuous activation from November to March (as opposed to only during Code Blue activations when temperatures are below freezing.) The Warming Center, operated by Catholic Charities under contract with the County, is located at 2nda Iglesia La Mision Church, 80 Elmendorf St., and can be reached at (845) 481-4549.

EXPANDING HOUSING THAT RESIDENTS CAN AFFORD

In addition to serving residents in need of emergency housing, the County has taken an active role in supporting the development of more housing that residents can afford. This year, the Legislature adopted a local law establishing housing as a County purpose, which enables the County to do much more in the area of housing.

Housing Action Fund

The Ulster County Housing Action Fund (HAF), proposed by County Executive Jen Metzger and approved by the Ulster County Legislature on August 15, supports equitable and sustainable community development through the construction, development, revitalization, and preservation of affordable, workforce, and supportive housing.

In exchange for investment from the fund, the HAF requires the creation of healthy, energy-efficient, and climate-responsible housing units that serve households making up to 80% of Ulster County Area Median Income (the precise income level varies by household size—for instance, $81,300 for a four-person household and $56,950 for a one-person household), with an emphasis on housing that serves the county’s most vulnerable populations. The Fund will also encourage innovative housing solutions, such as supportive housing, adaptive reuse of existing buildings for housing, tiny home communities, and accessory dwelling units.

• Funding:

  • An initial investment of $15 million from the County’s excess fund balance.

  • The County Executive has proposed dedicating 25% of occupancy tax revenues annually to ensure long-term resources for the fund and has included this additional funding as part of the 2024 County Budget.

• Administration:

  • A five-member Housing Policy and Oversight Committee (HPOC) has been appointed to oversee the administration of the fund, with support provided by the County Planning Department. Members include:

    • Fawn Tantillo, Chair - Fawn Tantillo served as an Ulster County Legislator from 1993 to 2003. Tantillo also worked as a legislative staff member for Ulster County from 2012 to 2023. She has also been a small landlord and property manager for 15 years and brings this experience to the Committee.

    • Susan Blickstein, Vice-Chair - Dr. Blickstein has served as a planning, policy, engagement, and research consultant to municipalities, counties, MPOs, and state agencies for over 30 years. She has served as Director of Planning for two multi-disciplinary planning, transportation, and engineering firms and, since 2007, as the Founding Principal of Susan G. Blickstein LLC (SGB, LLC) since 2007.

    • Soham Dhesi, Secretary - Soham is a Senior Investment Office for the Leviticus Fund, a regional nonprofit loan fund founded in 1983 that uses capital to alleviate poverty and improve the economic and social conditions of low-income individuals and families throughout the New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut area.

    • Loriman Rhodell - Loriman is a long-time community organizer and housing advocate having worked for the Office of the Mayor of the City of New York, Oglala Sioux Housing Authority, and El Puente de Williamsburg, a community-based organization in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

    • Sara Bayer, AIA, CPHC, NCARB, LEED AP - Sara A. Bayer is an Associate Principal and Director of Sustainability at Magnusson Architecture and Planning, dedicated to designing housing, specifically affordable and supportive housing. There, she manages many of the firm's most energy-efficient multifamily housing projects, including two that have won NYSERDA Buildings of Excellence Awards.

• Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA): On an annual basis, the County releases a NOFA and requests competitive proposals from affordable housing developers, nonprofit organizations, and individuals for housing projects that support the mission of the Fund.

• Project Types: The fund supports a wide variety of housing and housing-related projects, including affordable rental and for-sale projects, non-traditional housing projects, emergency housing, accessory dwelling units, infrastructure projects needed for affordable housing projects, and small grants for projects to spark innovation in the housing sector. Projects are required to be energy-efficient and all-electric to help meet the County’s climate goals.

• Affordability: All projects that receive funding are required to remain affordable (rent or sell units to households making no more than 80% of Area Median Income for a minimum of 50 years, with priority given to low-income households.

Learn more: https://participate.ulstercountyny.gov/housing-action-fund.

Golden Hill

• In partnership with the County and Family of Woodstock, affordable housing developer Pennrose is developing a new neighborhood of mixed-income, intergenerational housing on the site of the old county jail on top of Golden Hill.

• The development will include 164 units of affordable housing, with 48 units dedicated to supportive housing for frail elderly individuals and domestic violence survivors. The inclusive design also serves a diverse range of age groups and income levels (30-80 percent of Area Median Income) to meet the varied needs of the local population.

• The development prioritizes accessibility, walkability, and active open space, and includes amenities like a daycare center, fitness center, resident lounges, on-site trails, a community garden, and future connectivity to the UCAT bus network.

• A 100% electric, Department of Energy Zero Energy Ready Home certified community, the development aligns with Ulster County Executive Jen Metzger’s Climate Action Commitment.

• The development plans were crafted directly from community feedback received during five separate community input sessions and 10 months of reviews conducted by the City of Kingston’s planning board.

Silver Gardens

• The planned Silver Gardens development in Highland will create 57 one-bedroom apartments for low-income seniors, aged 62 and older, and will provide case management and supportive services on-site.

• The project is a joint venture between RUPCO and Marlborough Associates.

• The County has allocated $600,000 in federal ARPA funds for energy-efficient geothermal heating and cooling for the development.

Quality Inn

• RUPCO will renovate the Quality Inn on Route 28 in the Town of Ulster to provide supportive housing for families and individuals.

• The hotel’s 145 rooms will be converted to approximately 80 apartments with kitchen and other amenities. In addition, wrap-around services, including health and mental health care, career counseling, job training, and childcare will be provided.

• The County has allocated $2 million in federal funds for water and sewer infrastructure to support the project.

Accessory Dwelling Unit Program (“Plus One Home Program”)

In Fall 2023, the County partnered with RUPCO and the City of Kingston to launch the Plus One Home Program to assist Ulster County low-moderate income property owners with grants of up to $125,000 to construct or rehab code-compliant Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs). The program received over 70 applications and 14 households have been initially awarded to receive grants, based on high application scores and household needs.

In conjunction with the grant program, Ulster County and the City of Kingston held the “Say Yes to ADUs!” Accessory Dwelling Design Competition. After receiving almost 30 design proposals, an evaluation committee composed of local design professionals selected the DEMO Architecture team’s design as the winner, and Plus One by Andrade Architecture as the runner-up. The winning design has been awarded $25,000 to produce permit-ready construction documents, which Ulster County homeowners can use for free to obtain building permits to construct their ADU.

View all the ADU design proposals here.

Learn more: https://participate.ulstercountyny.gov/plus-one.

Housing Smart Communities

Local governments are essential partners in addressing the housing crisis, with "home rule" authority to decide what gets built where, as well as decisions about local housing regulations.

To support and encourage local governments to preserve and expand housing that residents can afford, the Ulster County Planning Department created Housing Smart Communities, a certification and capacity-building program that provides guidance, technical support, and incentives for municipalities.

The program identifies a number of housing smart actions that communities can take, from zoning reform to short-term rental regulation to expediting the permitting process. Depending on the actions taken, municipalities can achieve Bronze, Silver, Gold or Platinum certification levels. Since the launch of the program last year, 11 municipalities have joined.

Learn more and ask your local elected officials to join today: https://hsci.ulstercountyny.gov/.