About SMHA
Our History
On February 6, 1934, the Schenectady Municipal Housing Authority, the first in New York State, was authorized and established by the City Common Council. On March 23, 1934, with the appointment of the first five members, the Authority became a reality. In 1938, the first tenants of the Authority occupied Schonowee Village.
Current Operations
Since our first 217 units in 1938, the Authority has grown to encompass seven conventional housing developments serving a total of 1,018 low-income families. Three properties, Schonowee Village, Ten Eyck Apartments and Lincoln Heights, serve the elderly and disabled, while four other properties, Yates Village, Steinmetz Homes, MacGathan Townhouses and Maryvale Apartments, serve families with children. The Schenectady Municipal Housing Authority’s Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher program serves the housing needs of 1,387 households throughout the City of Schenectady.
News & Announcements
No notices at this time.
Online Rent Payments
SMHA is pleased to announce the ability to pay your rent online. To create your online payment portal account, click here. Paying your rent online is completely voluntary. You may continue to pay your rent in the same manner as you always have if you wish.
You will need your entity ID to create your account (Contact the Rent office for this information.) You will need to enter your Last Name exactly as it appears in our software. (Contact the Rent Office to verify how it should be entered. Tip: if your last name has a hyphen or suffix such as Jr. or Sr. this will need to be entered.)
Please be aware there is a 2.99% fee to use the online payment portal for either a Debit or Credit card, and a 1% fee if you are using a Bank account.
Reasonable Accommodation Statement:
Pursuant to the Fair Housing Act (42 U.S.C. 3601-3619), if you are a federally assisted housing program applicant or resident with a disability, you may request an exception, change or adjustment to a rule, policy, practice or service that may be necessary to afford you an equal opportunity to participate in the program.