The New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development Commissioner Vicki Been and New York City Housing Development Corporation President Gary Rodney today announced the opening of the Housing Connect lottery for 151 affordable apartments in the 3160 Park Avenue development. The new building is currently being constructed on once vacant land in the Melrose section of the Bronx at the intersection of Park Avenue and st 161

Ulster County Executive Mike Hein signed into law legislation that he previously proposed to enhance real property tax exemptions available to Ulster County Veterans. Based upon new exemption levels recently adopted by the New York State Legislature, this legislation ensures that Ulster County continues to grant its Veterans the most up-to-date exemptions allowable under New York State Real Property Tax Law.

HPD Commissioner Vicki Been, New York State Homes and Community Renewal (HCR), SBH Health System (St. Barnabas Hospital), L+M Development Partners and Hornig Capital Partners today announced plans for a new mixed-use development that will transform medical care in the Bronx by incorporating a range of on-site services aimed at easing health disparities and better supporting high-need populations.

The New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development Commissioner Vicki Been and New York City Housing Development Corporation President Gary Rodney today announced the opening of the Housing Connect lottery for 259 affordable apartments in the Gateway Elton development. The homes are located at 1062 Elton Street and 475 Locke Street in the Spring Creek section of East New York in Brooklyn

Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman today announced new plans to address tenant harassment and other housing issues facing New Yorkers. In a move to strengthen legal enforcement efforts, the Attorney General created a new team to enhance and streamline his office’s resources to combat tenant harassment, deceptive lending practices, deed theft, bank fraud, and other housing issues facing constituents.

The Urban Land Institute (ULI), a global research and education institute dedicated to responsible land use and building thriving communities, has been awarded a $100,000 grant from the New York Community Trust to raise awareness and encourage the use of resilient building practices in New York City, and to foster a greater understanding among the public and private sector nationwide regarding the many benefits of building for resilience.

New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) Commissioner Vicki Been reminds property owners and managing agents of multifamily residential buildings and certain one- and two- family homes of their obligation to annually register their properties with HPD. City agencies rely on the contact information supplied in the registration for all official notifications, including notices of violation, as well as emergency notices in the event of an emergency at the property or a citywide emergency.

Congressman Eliot Engel, a senior member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, called on Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Julián Castro to issue regulations swiftly to allow co-op owners to take part in HUD’s Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM) program

Mayor Bill de Blasio; U.S. Senator Chuck E. Schumer; Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito; Council Members Daniel Garodnick, Daneek Miller and Donovan Richards; a number of not-for-profit organizations; and Goldman Sachs as financing partner, today announced the purchase of 24 distressed mortgages for one- to four-family homes – with a total of 41 residential units – in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens and on Staten Island.

U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand today announced $1,066,776 in federal funding to the Unity House of Troy, Inc. The funding was allocated through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) under the Violence Against Women Act and Housing Opportunities for Persons With AIDS (VAWA/HOPWA). The Unity House of Troy will receive $869,257 through HOPWA and another $197,519 through the transitional Housing Assistance Program

HPD today joined Dunn Development Corp., State officials, elected representatives, and community leaders to announce the opening of Bergen Saratoga Apartments at 331 Saratoga Avenue, an 80-unit new construction affordable and supportive housing project in the Brownsville neighborhood in Brooklyn.

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that New Yorkers can report vacant and abandoned properties in their communities through a hotline at the New York State Department of Financial Services. As part of groundbreaking legislation signed by Governor Cuomo last week to prevent foreclosures and curb the threat posed to communities by “zombie properties” across the state, DFS will maintain an electronic registry of vacant and abandoned properties.

New York State Homes and Community Renewal (HCR) today announced that Jacobs Ladder, the maker of a cardio-fitness exercise machine featured at gyms around the country, will be able to expand to meet increasing demand and add jobs while providing job training in the Town of Wheatfield, with the assistance of a $100,000 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Small Business Program award.

MERSCORP Holdings, Inc. today announced the Appellate Division of the Fourth Judicial Department in New York unanimously overturned the trial court’s order and found that a mortgage for which MERS was the original mortgagee was valid, and granted J.P. Morgan Chase Bank’s (the “Bank”) motion for summary judgment in its’ foreclosure action.

The New York State Department of Taxation and Finance is alerting new homeowners—and those who recently purchased their homes—to a change in the School Tax Relief (STAR) program. These homeowners—including all who purchased their primary residence after August 1, 2015—must register for STAR with New York State instead of applying with their assessor. Property owners who bought their home before May 1, 2014, will continue to receive the STAR exemption and don’t need to take any action

In a victory for communities across New York State that are still struggling to recover from the foreclosure crisis, both houses of the Legislature passed two pieces of legislation that, combined, will have a tangible impact on upstate and Long Island communities still struggling to recover from neighborhood blight caused by the recession and the foreclosure crisis. Today, Governor Cuomo signed these two important pieces of legislation into law

Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman announced today that his office reached settlement agreements with two real estate brokerage firms for engaging in discrimination against prospective New York City tenants using rental assistance vouchers. An investigation into Lori & Associates LI Realty Inc. (Lori & Associates) and Rapid Realty Bedford Stuyvesant (RBS) found that both companies discriminated against potential New York City applicants with Living In Communities (“LINC”) III rental assistance vouchers.

Upon the completion of the 2016 Legislative Session, Empire Justice Center was excited to see significant strides in addressing wage theft, and two huge victories that will impact the ongoing effects of the forclosure crisis on homeowners and communities.  At the same time, the organization also expressed incredible disappointment that, for the third year in a row, essential protections for crime and domestic violence victims were not enacted by the New York State Senate.

Many of the state’s homeless shelters outside New York City are in substandard condition with numerous health and safety issues that need to be addressed immediately, according to a report on homelessness released today by New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli. DiNapoli called on state and local officials to improve coordination and respond quickly to improve homeless shelter conditions.

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today signed legislation to prevent foreclosures and curb the threat posed to communities by “zombie properties.” The bill was passed as part of the 2016 Legislative Session and is a boon for the economic health and public safety of communities and homeowners who would otherwise be at risk of losing their residences. The legislation combats the blight of vacant and abandoned properties by expediting the rehabilitation, repair and improvement of these properties, and enabling the State to assist homeowners facing mortgage foreclosure. The Governor signed the legislation into law, touring the state and visiting affected communities, at events in Syracuse, Manhattan and Long Island

With a nearly 10-percent increase in home sales compared to May 2015, the New York State housing market posted its 16th consecutive month of growth compared to the same month in the prior year, according to the housing market report released today by the New York State Association of REALTORS. The statewide median sales price grew by 3.2 percent compared to a year ago.

Nassau County Executive Edward P. Mangano announces that a Veterans Stand Down will be held on Tuesday, July 12, 2016 at American Legion, 160 Marvin Avenue in Hempstead. The Stand Down, from 10am – 2pm, is hosted by the Nassau County Veterans Service Agency (VSA) with assistance from volunteers representing all service organizations

Senator Says Residents Have Tried for Years to Get CSX to Help Fix Pooling Water In & Around CSX Tracks; Now Pooling is A Mosquito-Breeding Haven

Earlier today, David Gotterup pleaded guilty at the federal courthouse in Brooklyn, New York, to conspiracy to commit wire fraud by defrauding distressed homeowners in a loan modification scheme. When sentenced, Gotterup faces up to 30 years in prison, as well as restitution, criminal forfeiture, and a fine.

Speaker Carl Heastie, Judiciary Committee Chair Helene Weinstein, Banks Committee Chair Annette Robinson and Assemblymember Michelle Schimel today announced the passage of legislation that is part of a three-way agreement to combat the rising problem of abandoned residential properties by creating new obligations for mortgage owners and lenders to maintain property which has been rendered vacant and abandoned