Mayor Bill de Blasio detailed two new programs that will help New Yorkers achieve and maintain the American Dream – owning their own home. Open Door aids first-time homeowners buy a condo or coop, and HomeFix helps New Yorkers make capital improvements to their homes. These two programs will reach at least 2,100 households in eight years.

Mayor Bill de Blasio today announced that the City will help not-for-profit developers acquire and rehab residential “cluster site” buildings, currently used to house homeless families, and convert them into permanent affordable housing in a historic move to address the homelessness crisis in New York City. If negotiations to buy cluster site buildings are not successful, the City will use eminent domain to acquire them

U.S. Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer today called on the National Park Service (NPS) to approve the Northland Corridor Redevelopment Project’s request for inclusion of a key property to the National Register of Historic Places. Schumer said the vital designation of the former Niagara Machine and Tool Works Factory would allow the project to become eligible for an estimated $16 million historic tax credit, and help spur economic development on the East Side of the City of Buffalo.

U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Stephanie W. Cowart, 58, of Grand Island, NY, pleaded guilty to theft concerning programs receiving federal funds before U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. In addition, Cowart’s son and daughter-in-law, Allen, 31, and Fredia, 28, both of Niagara Falls, NY, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of theft of government funds which carries a maximum penalty of one year in prison and a $100,000 fine

The New York Department of State will hold a public meeting followed immediately by a public hearing on December 11 at 2:00 p.m, regarding the profession of real estate salespersons and brokers.  The meeting will take place at the following office locations: 99 Washington Avenue, Albany, 276 Waring Road, Rochester; and, 123 William Street, New York City. 

Homelessness crept up in the U.S., especially among individuals with long-term disabling conditions according to the latest national estimate by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). HUD’s 2017 Annual Homeless Assessment Report to Congress found that 553,742 persons experienced homelessness on a single night in 2017, an increase of .7 percent since last year. Homelessness among families with children declined 5.4

Rep. Phil Roe, M.D. (R-TN) announced the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Emergency Relief for Federally Owned Roads program will reimburse the U.S. Forest Service $335,408 and $160,000, respectively, to reconstruct federally-owned roads damaged by heavy rains in December 2015. Roe released the following statement

Thank you for the opportunity to submit testimony today. We all agree that there can be zero tolerance for exposing children to lead paint poisoning and recognize that this hearing responds to very legitimate concerns about conditions that should not exist in public housing. At the same time, the focus should be on fixing the underlying conditions, not on chastising NYCHA management or the Administration for a bureaucratic error. This is an opportunity for the City Council and all of us to support Shola Olatoye and her team as they struggle against great odds to preserve and renew the nation’s largest inventory of publically-owned affordable housing.

The New York City Council approved the de Blasio Administration's plan to redevelop the Bedford Union Armory into a community recreation center, space for non-profits, and 250 units of affordable housing. New York City Economic Development Corporation issued the following statement

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced the start of construction for the $150 million design-build project at the Woodbury Road, Transit and Economic Development Hubin Orange County. Construction is expected to be completed in November 2019 -- or five years ahead of schedule. The state will use a Project Labor Agreement (PLA), with the new road, transit and economic development hub expected to create 700 jobs over the course of the project.

FCC Rules That Promote More High-Speed Internet Access Are Threatened; Senator Says, If Approved, Internet Under New Standard Will Be Like Driving Tractor Instead Of A Trans Am And Calls For More Federal Investment In Broadband Infrastructure

On Tuesday, November 21, 2017, the City Council Land Use Committee and Planning Subcommittee approved the de Blasio Administration's plan to redevelop the Bedford Union Armory as an affordable recreation center, space for non-profits, and 250 units of affordable housing. New York City Economic Development Corporation and the Department of Housing Preservation and Development issued the following statements

The Office of General Services Commissioner today announced that the following six businesses have recently been certified by the Office of General Services’ (OGS) Division of Service-Disabled Veterans’ Business Development (DSDVBD)

Bronx Point will deliver up to 1,000 units of housing, including hundreds of units of deeply affordable housing, world-class open space on the Harlem River Waterfront, cultural destinations and will create over 150 permanent jobs and over 1,200 construction jobs

New York State Office of General Services (OGS) Commissioner RoAnn M. Destito today announced a public auction for approximately 50 acres of state-owned farmland on State Farm Road in the town of Kinderhook, Columbia County will be conducted at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, November 9. Complete details, including photos, legal and reference documents, and auction requirements can be found online at www.nysstore.com by clicking on “Real Estate Auctions.”

Representative Sean Patrick Maloney (NY-18) joined Reps. Jackie Walorski (R-Ind.), Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.), and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa) to introduce legislation which will strengthen public-private partnerships and boost investment in America’s infrastructure. The Move America Act will expand private activity bonds and infrastructure tax credits, which will attract billions of dollars in capital and give state and local governments greater flexibility to fund critical infrastructure projects.

The New York City Council today approved a zoning application for the development of a portion of land in East Harlem that was once the site of an African Burial Ground that dates back to the seventeenth century. The 126th Street African Burial Ground Memorial and Mixed-Use development will deliver a permanent memorial, deeply affordable housing and jobs for East Harlem residents.

Representative Sean Patrick Maloney (NY-18) and local officials condemned a decision by the Department of Veterans Affairs to deny an anticipated annual federal investment of over $500,000 to Hudson River Housing. If no action is taken, funding will run out and the program will be terminated after September 30th

State Office of General Services Commissioner RoAnn Destito and State Education Commissioner MaryEllen Elia today announced that visitors to Albany will have the opportunity to take free tours of both the State Education Building and the Capitol on every Saturday, beginning on October 7, due to the overwhelming popularity of Saturday tours that were being offered once a month.

U.S. Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer and U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand today announced $12,911,499 in federal funding for communities across NY and relaunched their push to call on President Trump, who completely decimated the programs in the recent White House FY18 budget proposal.

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced more than $11.4 million in state funding for three supportive housing developments in Buffalo and Brooklyn. The projects will create or preserve 80 units of housing for homeless New Yorkers supported by funding from the New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance's Homeless Housing and Assistance Program.

In the toughest action to date, Congressman Brian Higgins (NY-26), a member of the House Ways and Means Committee, is calling for Wells Fargo to be excluded from participation in the federal mortgage guarantee program following a disturbing, recurring pattern of consumer fraud. Higgins made the request in a letter to the Federal Housing Administration

The de Blasio Administration and Council Member Donovan Richards today announced that the Downtown Far Rockaway Redevelopment Project has been approved by the New York City Council, the final necessary vote of the City’s Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP) process.

U.S. Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer and U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand today announced $99,500 in federal funding for the Village of Waterloo in Seneca County. The funding was allocated through the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Rural Business Development Grant program. Specifically, the Village of Waterloo will use the funding to replace the pressure relief valve at the PRV station on River Road. The Village of Waterloo will also work closely with the Towns of Geneva, Junius, Phelps, and Tyre