Albany, NY – September 16, 2010 – (RealEstateRama) — Governor David A. Paterson today announced 94 awards totaling more than $28 million to not-for-profit housing agencies and local governments across the State that will help to build, rehabilitate or modify 1,472 homes for low-income families, people with disabilities and frail elderly homeowners and tenants. More than 120 units will be used to provide home-ownership opportunities to veterans, homeless families, first-time homebuyers and others in need of assistance.
“These awards will help leverage additional investments of more than $36 million from public and private sources that will create jobs and increase our stock of affordable housing,” Governor Paterson said. “More importantly, these awards will dramatically improve the quality of life for thousands of vulnerable New Yorkers. These awards will increase accessibility in the homes of the frail elderly and people with disabilities so they can remain in their communities rather than being forced into institutional settings. The awards will also help repair dangerous conditions in the homes of low-income elderly.”
Brian Lawlor, Commissioner of the Division of Housing and Community Renewal and President and CEO of “nyhomes,” said: “These awards allow our partners, primarily not-for-profit community groups, to administer important programs that will help thousands of New Yorkers live in safe, affordable homes. And this year, thanks to Governor Paterson’s integration of the State’s primary housing agencies, we were better able to coordinate these awards with funding from other housing programs. Coordination of scarce resources allows us to maximize the positive impact our programs have on communities and families all across our State.”
The awards were made through three programs administered by the State’s integrated Housing Agencies:
The HOME Program — The Housing Trust Fund Corporation approved 55 awards totaling $22 million through this federally funded program, which allows community-based non-profit housing organizations as well as local governments and private developers, to acquire, rehabilitate, or construct housing, or to provide assistance to low-income home-buyers and renters.
This year, 10 awards totaling $5 million in HOME funds were used to support the Manufactured Home Replacement Initiative (MHRI), a new program created to address the growing crisis of outdated, dilapidated and dangerous mobile and manufactured homes throughout the State, particularly in upstate regions.
Due to the recently completed integration of the State’s housing agencies, funding decisions are now made through a more coordinated process, and funding from several other sources was utilized to bolster the HOME awards. As a result, not-for-profit agencies received additional funding totaling more than $3.5 million for the MHRI through other programs, primarily the New York State Community Development Block Grant program and the Affordable Housing Corporation.
Manufactured homes are a vital part of the State’s affordable housing portfolio. More than 500,000 New Yorkers live in manufactured homes, more than twice the number in Mitchell-Lama Housing, which is the State’s largest housing program. The funding will help local program administrators replace dilapidated mobile homes with new, state-of-the-art, ENERGY STAR qualified manufactured homes.
Residential Emergency Services to Offer Repairs to the Elderly (RESTORE) — Program funds are used to pay for the cost of emergency repairs to eliminate hazardous conditions in homes owned by the elderly when the homeowners cannot afford to make the repairs in a timely fashion.
The board approved 27 RESTORE awards totaling $2 million to make emergency repairs to 436 homes. The awards include a $75,000 award to the Margert Community Corp. in Queens to help make repairs for homeowners who are elderly with physical disabilities. This project is a collaborative effort, and also received funding from the NYC Office for the Aging, the State Office of Mental Health and the State Weatherization Assistance Program.
The Access to Home Program — This innovative program provides financial assistance to property owners to make modifications to the homes of frail elderly and people with disabilities, such as ramps, bathroom handrails and other features to enhance accessibility and safety. The program enables individuals to safely and comfortably continue to live in their residences and avoid institutional care. The board approved 12 Access to Home awards totaling $4 million, which will help to modify 249 units across the State.
The awards include a $350,000 grant to the United Cerebral Palsy Association of the Rochester Area (UCPA Rochester). The award will help make 20 units in the area accessible and safe for people with physical disabilities and people who are frail elderly. UCPA Rochester is providing additional funding for the project.
A complete list of awards can be found online at: http://nysdhcr.gov/Funding/Awards/UnifiedFunding/2010LocalProgramAwards/.
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