BUFFALO - October 31, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman today announced more than $12.4 million in grant funding for land banks in Erie County/Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, Chautauqua County, Newburgh, and Suffolk County. The grants represent the first round of competitive funding awards under the Attorney General’s Land Bank Community Revitalization Initiative. This two-year, $20 million program provides funds from last year’s National Mortgage Settlement with the nation’s largest banks to help communities rebuild and restore neighborhoods hit hard by the housing crisis

NEW YORK - October 24, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman today announced $20 million in grants to fund housing counseling and legal services for homeowners across the state. The award money represents the second round of a three-year, $60 million commitment made by the Attorney General’s Office to aid struggling homeowners in New York who are fighting to avoid foreclosure and remain in their homes. Throughout New York State, 34 legal services organizations and 54 housing counseling agencies will receive funds to provide free foreclosure prevention services. The program also includes funding for two anchor partners – the Center for New York City Neighborhoods and the Empire Justice Center – that assist the Office of the Attorney General with program management, provide grantees with technical assistance and administer a robust training curriculum

New York, NY - September 24, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Congressman Eliot Engel announced the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is awarding $4,264,061 in grant money to Yonkers, to improve housing in the city and expand economic opportunities for low- and moderate-income residents

New York, NY - August 30, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Congressman Eliot Engel (D-NY-16) announced that the City of New Rochelle will be receiving $1,419,575 in funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The source of the grant comes from the Community Development Block Grants (CDBG), which enable states and local governments to develop viable housing in urban communities for low- and middle-income families.

New York, NY - July 31, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today urged Sandy-impacted homeowners on Staten Island to apply to New York City’s “Build it Back Program” now that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has modified its guidelines to include more flexibility for those who originally turned down Small Business Administration (SBA) loans. Originally, HUD’s guidelines included a “duplication of benefits” policy that negatively impacted victims who were offered but turned down SBA loans, often times because they were prudently avoiding additional debt. Previously, for these homeowners the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) assistance they would be eligible for

Washington, DC - May 30, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- A $168,500 grant for the Manchester Housing & Redevelopment Authority will provide permanent housing to 20 homeless veterans and is a positive step forward to battling veterans homelessness in the state, U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) said today. The supportive housing assistance is provided through the HUD (U.S. Housing and Urban Development)-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) Program, which combines rental assistance from HUD with case management and clinical services provided by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

Newburgh, NY - May 29, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Representative Sean Patrick Maloney announced that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development awarded Orange County’s Lead Safe Program with a Lead Based Paint Hazard Control grant and Healthy Homes Initiative funding. This investment will help Orange County’s Office of Community Development clear homes of lead paint and fire hazards, improving the living conditions and safety of children and families across Orange County

NEW YORK, NY - May 13, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- People whose property was damaged or destroyed by Hurricane Sandy can get rebuilding advice from a Federal Emergency Management Agency hazard mitigation specialist. The specialists are knowledgeable about cleanup and building safer and smarter to avoid future losses.

New York, NY - May 7, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- The New York State Senate today passed bills that would continue to promote the construction of environmentally-friendly buildings and the cost-saving benefits of net metering for utility bills. Both bills are sponsored by Senator George D. Maziarz (R-C, Newfane), and would help reduce the consumption of limited natural resources, promote the use of renewable energy, and lower energy costs

Albany, NY - April 29, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today unveiled the Community Reconstruction Zones (CRZ) program, a bottom-up, community driven initiative that will empower localities that were severely damaged by Superstorm Sandy, Hurricane Irene, or Tropical Storm Lee to develop comprehensive and innovative local rebuilding plans that will be funded by the state and federal government. The program will be funded by Federal Supplemental disaster aid fought for by Governor Cuomo and approved by Congress and signed by the President earlier this year.

EW YORK - April 15, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Disaster assistance to New York survivors of Hurricane Sandy has reached nearly $3.2 billion, including

New York, NY - April 11, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today revealed that there are over 1,100 dams considered “high” and “significant” hazards in Upstate New York, and more than three-quarters do not have an emergency action plan (EAP) to protect local homes, businesses and human life should dam breakage and subsequent flooding occur. Dams are a vital part of our nation’s aging infrastructure and provide enormous benefits to Upstate New Yorkers, including flood protection, drinking water, renewable hydroelectric power, navigation, irrigation, and recreation. Yet many of these hazardous dams are nearly a century old, and with the spring thaw fast-approaching, the risk to the surrounding community is too great to ignore

Washington, DC - April 9, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Congressman Eliot Engel (D-NY-16) announced the U.S. Department of Homeland Security is awarding $108,175 in grant money to the Village of Pelham Manor. The Assistance to Firefighter Grant (AFG) – administered through DHS and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) – is designed to help municipalities boost preparedness in response to fire and related hazards. The Pelham Manor Fire Department will receive the funds to purchase 18 sets of SCBA (Self Contained Breathing Apparatus) Units

Hauppauge, NY - April 8, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Today, County Executive Steven Bellone announced that applications for a competitive grant and loan program will be made available on April 5, 2013 for construction-ready municipal and private sewer infrastructure expansion projects within Suffolk County. With less than 25% of Suffolk County currently served by sewage treatment facilities, this program will assist in expanding sewers, protecting the drinking water supply and spurring economic development

New York - March 25, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, Deputy Mayor for Operations Cas Holloway, Director of the Mayor’s Office of Housing Recovery Operations Brad Gair, Director of Rapid Repairs Kathryn Mallon and FEMA Federal Coordinating Officer Michael Byrne today announced NYC Rapid Repairs has completed work on more than 99 percent of homes, helping more than 20,000 families – and approximately 54,000 people – return to their homes in communities hit hard by Hurricane Sandy.

Washington, DC - March 20, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Today, Congressmen Eliot Engel (D-NY-16) and Steve Israel (D-NY-03), along with 19 bipartisan Members of Congress, called on the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to include co-op and condo owners among those eligible for disaster aid. Presently, co-ops and condos are only eligible to receive loans and not grants because they are classified as “business associations” under FEMA assistance eligibility rules. Especially in light of the damage from Hurricane Sandy, co-ops and condos are in desperate need of the same vital assistance that other homeowners are eligible to receive.

New York, NY - March 4, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced $6.4 million in funding to help farmers reduce energy costs, protect the environment, and remain economically viable. This new funding expands a successful program launched in 2011, which has already assisted 170 farms in securing annual energy savings of $850,000 and reducing power usage by 6,800 megawatt hours

NEW YORK, NY - March 1, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Federal Emergency Management Agency and the U.S. Small Business Administration have approved more than $2 billion in direct assistance to homeowners, renters and businesses affected by Hurricane Sandy. This includes

Albany, NY - February 14, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced $20 million to support clean-energy projects that will provide continuous power and heat during power outages. These projects are in support of recommendations made by Governor Cuomo’s NYS 2100 Commission in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. These combined heat and power (CHP) projects provide manufacturers, apartment buildings, hospitals, universities and other large buildings the ability to produce a portion of their own heat and electricity.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - February 13, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today called on the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to establish a framework for how assistance programs can be structured with Community Development Block Grants Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funding to help housing cooperative and condominium owners impacted by Superstorm Sandy. Co-op and condominium owners are not currently eligible for Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) grants to cover the cost of repairs to common areas and infrastructure. Schumer today is asking HUD to establish program guidelines for eligible recipients using CDBG funds to help co-op and condo homeowners repair damage incurred by Sandy

New York, NY - February 6, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg today announced that New York City plans to spend its initial allocation of $1.77 billion in Community Development Block Grants to address the most urgent housing, business and infrastructure needs in the neighborhoods hardest hit by Hurricane Sandy through eight new programs. The new programs fall into three categories of immediate need: housing recovery, business recovery and infrastructure resiliency.

New York, NY - February 5, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) today announced a $205,000 award funded through New York State’s Green Jobs-Green New York to Integral Building Design Inc. of New Paltz. Integral Building Design is partnering with SUNY Ulster to turn Kelder House, one of its original campus buildings, into a state-of-the-art energy efficiency building-science “lab house” training facility.

New York, NY - February 4, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced two programs that will help dairy farmers in New York expand their businesses, increase profitability and reduce their energy costs. These initiatives were the result of recommendations advanced at Governor Cuomo’s Yogurt Summit, which convened last summer to hear ideas from industry leaders, farmers and other stakeholders to ensure that the yogurt industry continues to grow and create jobs in New York

NEW YORK, NY - February 4, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- The State of New York and the Federal Emergency Management Agency announce the approval of more than $80 million in Public Assistance grants to help communities clean up and recover from Hurricane Sandy.

NEW YORK, NY - December 10, 2012 - (RealEstateRama) -- This week, the Federal Emergency Management Agency announced three new Public Assistance (PA) grants to New York, bringing the total awarded since Hurricane Sandy to $254 million. PA grants will be used to reimburse the New York Police Department, New York University Langone Medical Center and the City of New York Department of Sanitation for part of the cost incurred saving lives, protecting property and cleaning up New York before, during and after the hurricane