Approximately 123,000 households rely on Section 8 vouchers to help pay rent, and the program remains a central tool for addressing housing affordability and homelessness.

One of the clearest themes that emerged from our testimony was that the biggest hurdle facing first-time buyers is not necessarily the monthly payment, but the upfront costs required to enter the market.

For real estate professionals, understanding the human and economic drivers behind eviction filings is critical.

As an industry, we must remain engaged in these discussions to ensure policies balance fiscal responsibility with a healthy and competitive real estate market.

The governor emphasized the continued strain rising costs place on households and positioned housing production, regulatory reform and tenant protections as central tools to address those pressures.

This year’s accomplishments reflect HGAR’s continued commitment to advocacy, education and engagement.

One of the key pieces of legislation discussed was Intro 1120, sponsored by Councilmember Julie Farías, that would establish clear timelines for cooperative boards to process, review, and issue decisions on co-op purchase applications.

HGAR’s Orange County Day featured a Legislative Power Hour with County Executive Steve Neuhaus, who addressed a packed room with his trademark energy.

New York’s housing ecosystem is at an inflection point. Affordability pressures, development bottlenecks, small-property owner challenges, regulatory changes, and aging housing stock are all converging at the same time.

The program could convert thousands of currently unpermitted basement units into legal Ancillary Dwelling Units (ADUs).

The rally underscored our industry’s leadership in advancing housing policy and demonstrated the collective strength of Realtors when we unite around a common cause.

For Realtors, this moment is about more than voting it’s about advocacy, leadership and accountability.

The role of an LPC includes attending public meetings, tracking local legislation, reporting back to HGAR’s Government Affairs team, and supporting the association’s broader communications strategy.

Against this backdrop, HGAR and our partner associations have officially launched the “Vote Yes on Proposal 3” campaign, a nearly $400,000 initiative to modernize New York City’s land use process and unlock housing opportunities across all boroughs.

This year’s breakfast featured Kenny Burgos, former New York State Assembly Member and now CEO of the New York Apartment Association, as keynote speaker.

Mayor Patterson-Howard’s vision for Mount Vernon and beyond aligns closely with HGAR’s mission—to advocate for strong, vibrant communities where opportunity and homeownership are within reach for all.

HGAR is collaborating with the Long Island Board of Realtors, the Brooklyn-Queens Board of Realtors, and the Staten Island Board of Realtors, to form one of the largest Realtor coalitions in New York City.

For HGAR, participation at Turning Stone reflects our commitment to being a leader in these conversations.

NAR has now launched the Pro-Property Platform, a system designed to strengthen federal political advocacy by allowing direct-to-candidate contributions to be tagged as pro-housing and pro-property rights.