Section 153. Relocation of displaced tenants

1. (a) Authorities shall have
  the  power to assist in relocating in suitable accommodations at rentals
  within their means families of low income  who  have  been  or  will  be
  deprived  of dwellings within areas or buildings which have been or will
  be cleared or demolished. In connection with any project, the  authority
  shall  maintain  or  provide  for  the  maintenance  of tenant placement
  service in which there shall be recorded lists  of  untenanted  suitable
  dwellings  available  to  families  of low income and shall furnish such
  information to such families. Authorities shall from time to  time  make
  studies  and  surveys  of dwelling units which may become unoccupied and
  available to families of low income and  shall  also  make  arrangements
  with  owners and lessors of such dwellings for registration thereof with
  the tenant placement service.
    (b) In connection with any state or municipal  project,  an  authority
  may  pay  so  much  of  the necessary cost of removal of families of low
  income, and  of  business  or  commercial  tenants,  from  the  area  or
  buildings  to  be cleared for the development of the project to suitable
  locations in such cases and in such amounts as may be  approved  by  the
  commissioner in the case of a state project or municipality in case of a
  municipal project, but, except as otherwise provided by law, in no event
  more  than  four  hundred  dollars  for  any family, nor more than three
  thousand dollars for any business or commercial tenant. Removal costs so
  paid by an authority shall be included in the project cost.
    (c) In connection with the development  of  any  federal  project,  an
  authority   may   contract  with  the  federal  government  and  with  a
  municipality to accept and distribute  relocation  payments  as  may  be
  agreed upon.
    2.  Any person or family residing in an area or building to be cleared
  or demolished by an authority or municipality  in  connection  with  the
  development  of  a  project  under  this  chapter  may  be admitted to a
  dwelling in any project of the authority or municipality if the probable
  aggregate annual income of such person or family  does  not  exceed  the
  income  limit  for  continued  occupancy established by the authority or
  municipality for  the  dwelling  to  which  such  person  or  family  is
  admitted.
    3.  Until  July  first  nineteen hundred seventy whenever an agency as
  defined in subdivision five of section five hundred two of  the  general
  municipal  law undertakes the clearance, rehabilitation, conservation or
  renewal of an area, or  an  authority  or  municipality  undertakes  the
  clearance,   replanning,   re-construction   or   rehabilitation   of  a
  substandard or insanitary area in connection with a project  as  defined
  in  this  chapter,  and if the commissioner determines in the case of an
  urban renewal project financially assisted by the state as  provided  in
  sections  five  hundred eight, five hundred nine and five hundred ten of
  the general municipal law or in the case of a state project  as  defined
  in  this  chapter  that  the area of such a project is one to which this
  subdivision shall apply, and an authority  or  municipality  finds  that
  there are not available suitable dwellings for the relocation of persons
  or  families  of low income who will be deprived of dwellings within the
  area of such a project, such authority or  municipality  may,  with  the
  approval  of  the  commissioner  in the case of state projects, relocate
  such persons or families by admission to a dwelling in  any  project  of
  the authority or municipality. The income of a family relocated pursuant
  to this subdivision shall not be subject to the limitation prescribed in
  subdivision  one  (a)  of section one hundred fifty-six of this chapter.
  Notwithstanding any general, special or local law, each person or family
  admitted to a project pursuant to this subdivision shall be required  to
  move from such project within one year from the date of admission unless

  the  income  of the family is within the limits prescribed for continued
  occupancy in the project  and,  in  the  opinion  of  the  authority  or
  municipality,  the removal of the family from the project would occasion
  undue hardship.