Housing Services (Supportive Housing)

Supportive housing is a combination of affordable housing and support services designed to help individuals and families use housing as a platform for health and recovery following a period of homelessness, hospitalization or incarceration or for youth aging out of foster care.

Supportive housing is affordable, permanent and independent housing that meets the needs of tenants by providing support and that is integrated within a neighborhood and community.

The two primary types of supportive housing are:

  • Single-site (also referred to as congregate): A designated building where each individual or family has a private living quarters and may share kitchens and/or common recreational rooms or other facilities.

  • Scattered-site: Units in apartment buildings spread throughout a neighborhood or community that are designated for specific populations, accompanied by supportive services

How Supportive Housing Works

Permanent supportive housing provides individuals and families coming from a period of homelessness, hospitalization or incarceration with:

  • Integrated, quality housing: Residential apartment buildings are located in all communities throughout New York City. Supportive housing reflects housing options available to others at similar income levels in the community and meets standards for safety and quality established by local, state, and federal laws and regulations.

  • Standard lease and rental assistance: Tenants sign a standard lease. Continued tenancy is not subject to any special rules or participation in any particular services. Tenants pay 30% of their income toward rent.

Services Offered

Supportive housing programming offers tenants with assistance in getting jobs, reuniting with families, getting treatment and recovering from mental health problems. Participation in services is voluntary and is designed to meet the needs of each resident. Support services include:

  • Case management
  • Educational, vocational and other recovery-oriented services
  • Medication management and counseling
  • Assistance in gaining access to government benefits
  • Referrals to medical services, mental health care and treatment for drug and alcohol use
  • Recommendations for other needed services, such as legal support

Supportive Housing Tenant Notice of Rights


Guidance Documents for Supportive Housing Providers and Property Managers

Below are guidance documents jointly issued in July 2023 by the NYC Human Resources Administration, the Health Department, and Housing Preservation and Development. These documents clarify the City’s expectations for processes and polices related to referral, intake, and admission to City-funded supportive housing projects.

Webinar Series for Supportive Housing Providers

Assisted Outpatient Treatment (AOT) Training

Recording: This training shares an overview of the Assisted Outpatient Treatment (also known as Kendra’s Law) program. The training reviews how AOT works, what AOT expects of providers, referral processes, outcomes at the end of an AOT order, and more.

Single Point of Access (SPOA) Training

Recording: This training shares an overview of SPOA and services accessible through SPOA, such as Assertive Community Treatment (ACT), Intensive Mobile Treatment (IMT) and Non-Medicaid Care Coordination. The training offers a step-by-step guide on how to access the SPOA referral portal and complete a SPOA Universal Referral Form (URF) application. The training also reviews documents needed for a SPOA application and case vignettes to understand eligibility for different types of services.

More Information

Additional Resources