The Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) is a state-mandated and funded initiative that provides academic and financial support to students who demonstrate the potential to succeed in college-level courses. This program is administered by the State University of New York (SUNY). In an effort to promote housing reform, a powerful coalition called New York Neighbors has been formed. This coalition includes organizations such as the Regional Planning Association, the New York State Affordable Housing Association, the New York Housing Conference, the Citizens Budget Commission, and Open New York, a Yes in My Back Yard (YIMBY) group.
Open New York is mainly comprised of college-educated professionals and is looking to build partnerships with affordable housing groups and more left-leaning tenants. To ensure strategic alignment between funding and funding policies, it is essential to analyze the potential inefficiencies that misalignment can cause and examine the social and economic benefits of aligning higher education funding policy. This will help improve access and achievement for historically underserved students. The Bond Act will also support substantial investment in the Clean and Green Schools initiative that will reach all public schools located in disadvantaged communities.
Policy makers are actively seeking to reform long-standing local exclusionary zoning laws, which severely limit the types of housing that can be built in communities. To do this effectively, they must consider ways to use this lever in accordance with allocations and state financial aid. Combined with tuition and allowances, states' financial aid policies can have a major impact on higher education affordability and equity of access. The Century Foundation (TCF) has partnered with the Furman Center at New York University to examine the effects of exclusionary zoning on educational opportunities in New York State.
They have also looked at how changes in policies related to allocations, state financial aid programs, and enrollment can affect higher education. In a free market, some communities are more prosperous than others, making housing more expensive in those areas. However, District 28 in Queens received a planning grant from the New York City Department of Education to promote diversity, which caused some controversy. Under Governor Hochul's leadership, the Office of Addiction Services and Support (OASAS) is taking steps to address the opioid crisis by improving access to addiction treatment services, eliminating barriers to treatment, developing new treatment models, and expanding the number of treatment centers in communities across New York State.
Public universities vary in affordability for in-state students; however, schools in all states often use students from overseas and from other states to increase revenues. To fully understand affordability, it is important to compare net prices between universities in different states while taking into account income levels. The Century Foundation (TCF) has been producing a series of reports in collaboration with the Furman Center at New York University that examines the effects of exclusionary zoning on educational opportunities in New York State. The interaction between these policies demonstrates that no single policy can be a panacea for post-secondary funding problems.
Suffolk County is home to many higher education opportunities that are both affordable and accessible for students from all backgrounds. Through initiatives such as the Educational Opportunity Program (EOP), New York Neighbors coalition, Bond Act Clean and Green Schools initiative, OASAS opioid crisis response plan, and TCF/Furman Center research series on exclusionary zoning effects on educational opportunities, Suffolk County is actively working towards providing equitable access to higher education for all its residents.
