New York, NY – June 4, 2015 – (RealEstateRama) — Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced $11 million in grants to build, improve and preserve affordable housing for low- and moderate-income New Yorkers. The 61 awards across the state’s 10 regions were given to municipalities and not-for-profit organizations to help support community priorities, keep people in their homes and expand local opportunities for affordable housing.
“Everyone deserves a safe, affordable and decent place to live, and this funding will help some of our most vulnerable New Yorkers maintain their independence as well as stay in their homes,” Governor Cuomo said. “We will continue to work with local partners and organizations to support affordable housing and help build stronger communities all across New York.”
Counties, cities, towns and villages, as well as not-for-profit organizations, applied to the New York State Homes and Community Renewal for funding, which was available for new homeownership and housing rehabilitation. Subsequently, homeowners can apply to their local municipality or not-for-profit organization where they will be screened for eligibility for the program based on income criteria.
The awards were made through four Homes and Community Renewal affordable housing programs: (1) the Affordable Homeownership Development Program administered by the agency’s Affordable Housing Corporation; (2) Access to Home; (3) Access to Home for High-Cost Medicaid Recipients Program, and (4) Residential Emergency Services to Offer Repairs to the Elderly (RESTORE).
Affordable Homeownership Development Program
The Affordable Homeownership Development Program awarded $7.4 million for the new construction, rehabilitation and improvement of approximately 439 homes, which leveraged more than $16.5 million in additional public and private subsidy. Grants went to communities including Niagara, Chemung, Schenectady, New York City, and Port Jervis, among others.
Access to Home
Under the Access to Home program, $1.35 million in awards were made for accessibility improvements to 119 homes occupied by low- and moderate- income individuals living with disabilities, where the funding also leveraged more than $750,000 in other resources. Access to Home grants were awarded to counties including Saratoga, Tompkins, Queens, Erie, and Ontario.
Access to Home provides financial assistance to homeowners and rental property owners through municipalities and not-for-profit organizations serving as local program administrators, with the goal of making apartments accessible for low- and moderate-income persons with disabilities.
New York State Homes and Community Renewal Commissioner/CEO Darryl C. Towns said, “Our not-for-profit and municipal partners are plugged into the economic pulse of their communities. These projects are critical drivers of economic and housing opportunity in their respective regions. Thanks to the Governor’s leadership, these home improvement and homeownership projects will protect and extend affordability, allowing residents to continue living in their communities, sustaining and strengthening the bonds of community and regional identity.”
Access to Home for High-Cost Medicaid Recipients Program
Under the new Access to Home for High-Cost Medicaid Recipients Program, the State Departments of Health and Homes and Community Renewal have coordinated efforts to fund the expansion of the Access to Home program to offer $975,000 to 87 units in targeted assistance for Medicaid recipients living with a disability. Providing assistance with the cost of adapting homes for vulnerable Medicaid clients with disabilities helps foster continued independence in a safe and comfortable home environment and avoids the prospect of moving clients to institutional care. These grants were awarded in the Finger Lakes, Central New York, Southern Tier and Mid-Hudson Regions, among others. The program also reduces health care cost and provides better health outcomes for high-need Medicaid clients. More than $1.6 million in additional resources are leveraged with this funding.
Residential Emergency Services to Offer Repairs to the Elderly (RESTORE)
RESTORE awards totaling more than $1.3 million statewide were made to municipal and not-for-profit applicants that demonstrated significant need and would produce a substantial impact to the community. The awards improve homes for 384 seniors and will leverage another $5.2 million in public and private funds.
The RESTORE Program awards funds through municipalities and not-for-profit organizations serving as local program administrators. It pays for the cost of emergency repairs that eliminate hazardous conditions in homes owned by the elderly who are unable to afford to make repairs in a timely manner. Winners of RESTORE grants are in 35 counties or localities in all ten regions.
Awards made by region include:
| By Geographic Region | # of Awards | # of UNITS | Total Award $ |
| Capital Region | 9 | 147 | 1,000,000 |
| Central New York | 7 | 87 | 600,000 |
| Finger Lakes | 5 | 96 | 435,000 |
| Long Island | 2 | 30 | 850,000 |
| Mid-Hudson | 6 | 62 | 725,000 |
| Mohawk Valley | 2 | 26 | 100,000 |
| North Country | 3 | 34 | 400,000 |
| Southern Tier | 8 | 187 | 2,150,000 |
| Western New York | 11 | 217 | 3,075,000 |
| NYC | 8 | 143 | 1,775,000 |
| Total: | 61 |
1029 |
11,110,000 |
A complete list of awards can be found here: www.nyshcr.org/Funding/Awards/OCRLocalProgramAwards.pdf.
This effort builds on the Governor’s $1 billion House NY program, which is creating thousands of new units by 2018 and is the largest investment in affordable housing in at least 15 years. House NY also preserves thousands of Mitchell-Lama units, extending affordability for 40 years.
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