Standing on Post Avenue in Rochester, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today launched his push to fight steep funding cuts that have been proposed in the Senate Transportation, Housing and Urban Development (THUD) Appropriations bill that would negatively impact Rochester and Finger Lakes Region communities. Schumer explained that this cut would effectively decimate critical funding that Rochester relies on for home rehabilitation and ownership programs, neighborhood revitalization efforts and more. Schumer explained that the FY 2016 THUD bill, which was passed out of the Appropriations Committee

LSNYC is gratified that the New York City Council and Mayor de Blasio have given New York City tenants new protections against aggressive "buy-out" practices used to force tenants out of their homes

Legal Services NYC (LSNYC) today filed a lawsuit against the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) on behalf of two tenants who speak little to no English, and for whom NYCHA refused to provide interpretation and translation services as required under federal and city law, as well as under NYCHA’s own policies.

Ulster County Executive Mike Hein announces that the Mount Marion Bridge also known as the “3 RRR’s Bridge,” a critical thoroughfare over the Plattekill Creek at the Saugerties/Ulster border, has been reconstructed and is now open for all motorists to safely travel.

New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) in partnership with the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) today announced the release of a Housing New York Request for Proposals (RFP) to create a mixed-use development that contributes to the overall vibrancy of the dynamic Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood. This RFP will help meet the City’s goal to build or preserve 200,000 affordable housing units over the next 10 years.

Governor Cuomo announced that he is deploying trained personnel from the Department of Financial Services to Johnstown and Ilion to continue offering foreclosure prevention assistance to financially struggling homeowners in the Mohawk Valley. The deployment will also provide information and guidance to student borrowers facing difficulties in repaying student loans.

The Tenant Rights Campaign, a joint initiative of Legal Services NYC and The Legal Aid Society, working in collaboration with New York Communities for Change, today launched an anti-displacement initiative in East New York and Brownsville. (Above: Residents of 650 New Jersey Avenue gather before this morning's press conference).

Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo, joined by Commissioner James S. Rubin of New York State Homes and Community Renewal and Commissioner Vicki Been of the New York City Department of Housing Preservation & Development, today announced that notices have been sent to 194 building owners who accepted lucrative tax breaks under the state’s “421-a” program without fulfilling the law’s rent-regulation requirements. The building owners who received notifications provide housing to more than 2,400 families and individuals in New York City who are entitled to rent-regulated leases under the law.

Today, Erie County Executive Mark C. Poloncarz was joined by Erie County Legislator Peter Savage (3rd District), Town of Tonawanda Supervisor Anthony Caruana, Mayor of the City of Tonawanda Rick Davis, elected officials, representatives of the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority (“NFTA”) and New York State Department of Transportation (“NYSDOT”), and residents to review the Tonawanda Rails to Trails Project, a 4-mile long connecting trail that runs from Kenmore Avenue in the Town of Tonawanda to State Street in the City of Tonawanda.

Members of the Homes and Community Renewal (HCR) senior management team joined Governor Andrew M. Cuomo at his Capital for a Day in the Mohawk Valley recently to demonstrate the agency's commitment to New Yorkers in the region through its various revitalization programs. The day featured a walking tour of the Cornhill community in Utica, a neighborhood that is undergoing revitalization, and a roundtable discussion in the City of Amsterdam on housing and community revitalization needs and priorities

U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand today announced a federal grant of $3,365,733 in Lead Hazard Reduction Demonstration funding and $325,000 in Healthy Homes supplemental funding for the City of Rochester. This critical funding will provide necessary resources to spur collaboration between the Rochester Housing Authority and the Monroe County Department of Health to prevent lead poisoning accidents. With this funding the City of Rochester will now be able to address lead hazards

Members of the Homes and Community Renewal (HCR) senior management team joined Governor Andrew M. Cuomo at his Capital for a Day in the Mohawk Valley recently to demonstrate the agency's commitment to New Yorkers in the region through its various revitalization programs. The day featured a walking tour of the Cornhill community in Utica, a neighborhood that is undergoing revitalization, and a roundtable discussion in the City of Amsterdam on housing and community revitalization needs and priorities

Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman today announced a $6 million dollar settlement with Empire State Home Care Services, Inc. (Empire), a home care agency operating out of Brooklyn, NY. The settlement resolves claims that Empire improperly reported its home health aide hours as well as administrative and general expenses on cost reports filed between 2002 and 2005. These cost reports were used to set the reimbursement rates that Empire received from the state for the years 2004 through 2007 and resulted in over $3 million in reimbursements to which Empire was not entitled

Current Senate Bill Slashes HOME Investment Partnerships Program (HOME) Funding By More Than 90% From Fiscal Year 2015 Levels – Effectively Decimating Critical Funding Streams For Capital Region

Mayor Bill de Blasio joined Queens officials, the Arker Companies today to break ground at the Beach Channel Senior Apartments in Far Rockaway, Queens. When completed in 2017, the seven-story, mixed-use development will be 100 percent affordable, providing apartments for 154 low-income seniors, including 46 for formerly homeless seniors.

Tax Incentive Allows Businesses, Residents, and Municipalities to Install Solar Panels; However, They Only Receive These Benefits Upon Completion of the Project; With New Installations Contemplated in Rose, Williamson, City of Rochester, Henrietta, and Parma, Uncertainty About Solar Tax Credit’s Future Could Hamper Growth of Burgeoning Local Solar Companies

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that he is deploying Department of Financial Services’ Mobile Command Center to four Mohawk Valley locations to offer advice and assistance to New York consumers, as part of his “Capital for a Day” initiative to bring state government to the Mohawk Valley. The deployment is focused on assistance related to two specific issues: homeowners at risk of foreclosure and borrowers facing difficulties with student loans.

The New York Department of State will hold a public meeting followed immediately by a public hearing on Wednesday, August 26, 2015 at 10:30a.m., regarding the profession of real estate salespersons and brokers. The meeting will take place at the following office locations: 99 Washington Avenue, Albany, 65 Court Street, Buffalo; and, 123 William Street, New York City. The public has the right to attend the meeting at any of these locations.

Village of Penn Yan Applied to FEMA for $2.5M for Repairs, But More Than $410,000 Needed for Most Visible Repairs Had Yet to Be Approved By FEMA – In July, Schumer Urged FEMA to Expedite Requests & Approve Final 5 Projects Desperately Needed in Penn Yan

Poughkeepsie…The Dutchess County Department of Planning & Development in conjunction with the Solarize Hudson Valley campaign, announced three free Solarize Beacon + educational workshops will be held to assist Dutchess County homeowners and small business owners with obtaining access to solar energy discounts. As part of the workshops, potential solar customers will have the opportunity to meet and interview pre-selected local installation firms and current solar users to learn about solar technology and financing options for their homes and businesses

Poughkeepsie…The development of a 2.498 megawatt photovoltaic (PV) solar panel array at the Dutchess County Airport in the Town of Wappinger moved forward yesterday as the Dutchess County Legislature’s Environment Committee approved resolutions with lead agency status declaration as well as the approval and adoption of a Full Environmental Assessment Form (FEAF) and negative declaration of environmental significance in connection to the project. The resolutions will be considered by the full Dutchess County Legislature at their August Board meeting on Monday, August 10th

Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman today announced that his office recovered $165,212 that had been wrongly taken by David Marshall and Charles J. Kramer, Jr., lawyers for the estate of former Lyon Mountain resident Joseph Warsen. Marshall and Kramer drained the estate, which was originally intended to support scholarships for North Country students at the State University of New York, of nearly a third of its value through improper, superfluous fees

Highlighting New York State’s ongoing commitment to modernizing its transmission system, the New York Power Authority (NYPA) welcomed the arrival this week of the first of five new autotransformers slated for the Niagara Power Project’s switchyard in Lewiston. The transformer was transported by rail from Canada to the Niagara Falls CSX rail yard, where it was then transferred to an 18-axle trailer for an approximately two-mile trip to the Niagara switchyard

Governor Cuomo announced that New York State is helping municipalities strengthen their water infrastructure through more than $114 million in zero and low-interest loans. These loans will support improvements at 16 wastewater facilities and four drinking water systems. Six of these projects will also make facilities and systems more resilient in the face of extreme weather

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has proposed a plan to use natural processes along with the continued use of a system that EPA previously installed to treat contaminated groundwater at the Corozal Well Superfund Site in Corozal, Puerto Rico. A key step in moving forward is receiving the public’s feedback on the plan.