Washington, DC - March 19, 2012 - (RealEstateRama) -- Rockland County’s Office of Community Development was awarded a $556,106 Continuum of Care Homeless Assistance grant from the Department of Housing and Urban Development to provide assistance to homeless persons, including transitional housing, permanent housing plus supportive services Congressman Eliot Engel announced

NEW YORK, NY - November 14, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- U. S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Regional Administrator Adolfo Carrión, New York City Housing Authority Chairman John B. Rhea, and Michael A. Sabo, Network Director of the Veterans Affairs (VA) Integrated Services Network, today announced that 1,424 homeless veterans have found permanent housing in New York City under a joint HUD and Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) program that provides rental housing and support services to needy veterans. Since the program’s inception in 2008, 2,540 homeless veterans in New York State have found permanent housing. It is estimated that approximately 145,000 veterans nationwide experienced homelessness in 2010. HUD’s Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing Program (HUD-VASH) combines a HUD Housing Choice Voucher with VA case management and supportive services.

New York, NY - June 3, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today announced an $110,000 U.S. Department of Labor grant for the United Veterans Beacon House based in Bay Shore, Long Island. The center, which provides transitional housing and job training to homeless veterans in Suffolk and Nassau County, will use the money to fund outreach efforts to homeless veterans at other shelters in Long Island, as well as efforts to connect these veterans to potential employers. Schumer said that this grant was essential in order to provide our heroes who have fallen on hard times with the helping hand they need to find jobs and get their lives back on track.

WASHINGTON, DC - May 26, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The U.S. Department of Labor’s Veterans’ Employment and Training Service has announced an $8.3 million grant competition to provide job training, counseling and placement services (including job readiness, and literacy and skills training) to expedite the reintegration of homeless veterans into the labor force through its Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program.

New York, NY - May 11, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, Deputy Mayor Linda I. Gibbs, and Department of Homeless Services Commissioner Seth Diamond today opened the City’s new state-of-the-art intake center for homeless families seeking shelter. With more than 75,000 square feet, the new Prevention Assistance and Temporary Housing (PATH) facility has 213 percent more space than the original intake site, and houses more than 200 specialists from the Department of Homeless Services, Administration for Children’s Services and Human Resources Administration. The new facility replaces the dilapidated and inefficient Emergency Assistance Unit (EAU).

NEW YORK, NY - March 24, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Today, U.S. Representatives Carolyn Maloney (D-Manhattan, Queens) and Charles Rangel (D-Manhattan & the Bronx); Mike Hickey, Executive Director of the Center for New York City Neighborhoods; Willie Rapfogel, CEO of the Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty; Mitchell Kent of the NYC Department of Consumer Affairs; Bisoondaye Maharaj, a struggling Queens homeowner who has benefitted from federal mortgage programs; and housing advocate Seema Agnani, Executive Director of the Chhaya Community Development Corporation, gathered at City Hall to release a report detailing the impact on New York City of Republican efforts to terminate federal foreclosure-avoidance programs. At a time when our economy and real estate market remain fragile, Republicans have offered no alternative plans to stem the foreclosure crisis.

NEW YORK, NY - March 15, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and Assembly Housing Committee Chairman Vito Lopez were joined by members of the Assembly Majority, David R. Jones the President of the Community Service Society of New York, affordable housing advocates and rent-regulated tenants to release a groundbreaking new report documenting rent-stabilized housing’s critical role in protecting millions of working New Yorkers and the urgent need to extend rent-stabilization laws while closing the loopholes that are costing New York thousands of affordable apartments every year.

WASHINGTON, DC - March 10, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) today introduced an amendment in the House Financial Services Committee to H.R. 839, "The HAMP Termination Act of 2011" sponsored by Patrick McHenry (R-NC), whose bill would abolish the “Housing Affordable Modification Program” which was established to assist three to four million homeowners in achieving mortgage modifications. The Maloney Amendment would extend the program to accommodate 500,000 more mortgages before it ends.

NEW YORK, NY - March 9, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law (Lawyers' Committee) and pro bono counsel Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP (Davis Polk) filed a lawsuit today on behalf of local homeowners who were scammed by for-profit loan modification companies. Today's complaint - which targets a wide-ranging conspiracy to defraud vulnerable homeowners - marks the beginning of a statewide legal campaign to pursue those who exploit New Yorkers affected by the financial crisis

Mineola, NY - December 16, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Nassau County Executive Edward P. Mangano has announced that Warm Bed, Nassau’s homeless program providing shelter relief to families and individuals during cold winter months, has been activated. A one-stop Nassau County Winter Homeless Hotline, 1-866-WARM-BED, will operate 7 days a week and run through March 31. County Executive Mangano activated the program and hotline five days early, on December 10, in anticipation of the cold weather. Warm Bed was originally scheduled to open on December 15 this year. If winter conditions persist beyond March 31, the program will continue until warmer weather arrives

Washington, DC - December 3, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Today, House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.) led a full committee hearing on "Foreclosed Justice: Causes and Effects of the Foreclosure Crisis," in which the Committee discussed with invited witnesses the government’s response to the country’s foreclosure crisis.One of the witnesses, a New York bankruptcy judge, testified that he had routinely encountered in his court foreclosure attorneys who: failed to know who they represented, lacked the underlying note evidencing their entitlement to seek foreclosure, failed to establish the legal chain of title establishing the standing of their client-mortgagees, and submitted to the court false affidavits attesting to the ownership of the note and mortgage

November 18, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Good morning and thank you Chairman Lopez, Chairman Weinstein, Chairman Towns and members of the committees for inviting me here today to discuss New York's response to the foreclosure crisis.

Washington, DC - November 18, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Congressman Eliot Engel’s office at 3655 Johnson Avenue will collect toys for the homeless children as part of a drive by the Coalition for the Homeless to get toys to children in the City’s homeless shelters for the holidays

WASHINGTON, D.C. - July 1, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Today, Congressman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) commended the City of New York, particularly the Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) and the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA), for working to restore Section 8 vouchers to 2,600 needy families.

Albany, NY - July 2, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- The New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA) recently helped celebrate the grand opening of Opportunity for Broome, Inc.’s new Liberty Street Apartments in Binghamton. The new facility will provide 12 units of permanent housing for homeless families and individuals.

New York, NY - June 10, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- On Wednesday, June 2, 2010, New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development Commissioner Rafael E. Cestero, Department of Homeless Services Commissioner Seth Diamond, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr., and Common Ground

Albany, NY - April 20, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- The State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA) recently helped SAFE, Inc. break ground on its new project to expand SAFE House, an emergency housing facility for runaway and homeless youth and pregnant and parenting teens, at an event in Schenectady.

New York, NY - April 19, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg today announced the appointment of Seth Diamond to head the City's Department of Homeless Services.

NEW YORK, NY - March 25, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Department of Homeless Services (DHS) paid out millions of dollars ($152.7 million in FY08) to non-contracted service providers based on an "honor system" of unwritten agreements, invented rates and duplicate clients lists, according to an audit initiated under former Comptroller William C. Thompson, Jr. and just completed by Comptroller John C. Liu.

Albany, NY - March 3, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- The State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA) today announced that nearly $4.7 million has been awarded to fund homeless housing and related support services in the cities of Utica and Ithaca.

NEW YORK, NY - January 19, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Public Advocate Bill de Blasio today held a press conference with advocates calling for changes to the City’s approach to homelessness.

Bay Shore, NY - December 23, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) -- On Wednesday, Rep. Steve Israel (D – Huntington) joined the directors of two homeless veterans organizations on Long Island – Frank Amalfitano, President of the United Veterans Beacon House and Gregory Curran, Northport VAMC’s Homeless Veterans Coordinator – to announce the largest federal investment to date to help homeless veterans.

NEW YORK, NY - December 15, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) -- Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo today announced his office has obtained an interim court order shutting down the New York City-based not-for-profit group United Homeless Organization, Inc. (“UHO”).

Albany, NY - December 5, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) -- Governor David A. Paterson today announced that nearly $25 million has been awarded to fund homeless housing projects and related support services throughout the State.

New York, NY - November 18, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) -- Department of Homeless Services (DHS) Commissioner Robert V. Hess today announced that the eighth annual Homeless Outreach Population Estimate (HOPE 2010), a survey of individuals living on New York City streets, parks and other public spaces, will be held on the night of Monday, January 25, 2010.