Assemblyman Tommy John Schiavoni reported Monday that Community Housing Fund (CHF) revenues collected in first half of 2026 in four East End towns were $21.6 million, bringing the total generated by the program since its 2023 inception to more than $100 million.
Mr. Schiavoni also reported that the five East End Towns’ Community Preservation Funds (CPF) for land preservation earned nearly $89.4 million in the same time frame this year.
Riverhead Town does not participate in the Community Housing Fund program. The four other East End towns passed public referendums in 2022 accepting a .5 percent transfer tax establishing the CHF, which is administered separately in each of the towns. The CHF programs are administered separately within each of the participating towns.
“The fund is doing what it is supposed to do, and this strong revenue stream represents great opportunities for our region,” said Mr. Schiavoni in the announcement. “CHF monies can be used to scale up funds when applying for state grant funding to enhance these local dollars. Local leaders have the ability to provide workforce housing development to our year-round East End community, and it is the responsibility of community leaders to come to a consensus on how to provide responsible avenues toward productive development.”
Southampton Town took in the most CHF money in the first half of the year — $12.23 million, followed by East Hampton with $6.99 million, Southold with $1.8 million and Shelter Island with $581,430, according to Mr. Schiavoni’s figures.
Since the program’s inception, Southampton has taken in just over $57.9 million, East Hampton has taken in nearly $32.2 million, Southold has taken in just over $8.5 million and Shelter Island has taken in nearly $2.1 million.
State law allows the town’s Community Housing Funds to provide financial assistance to first-time homebuyers not to exceed 50 percent of purchase price, the production of community housing for sale or rent, rehabilitation of existing buildings for community housing, housing counseling, and the acquisition of real property for community housing.
“These monies are a critical lifeline for our region, and they ought to be utilized to the greatest extent to make life here more affordable, and to prevent further outmigration of our nurses, firefighters, teachers, and the next generations,” said Mr. Schiavoni of the Community Housing Fund. “I commend the towns for their work so far in preserving open space and providing housing opportunities, and I encourage greater community collaboration to preserve the make-up of our region.”
To date this year, the Community Preservation Fund land preservation funds in the five East End towns have taken in just over $48.9 million in Southampton, nearly $28 million in East Hampton, nearly $7.25 million in Southold, just over $3 million in Riverhead and just over $2.3 million on Shelter Island.
Those funds can be used for preservation of land for farming and open space, historic preservation and certain water quality projects, though North Fork towns have focused their CPF programs on farmland and open space.
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