Gov. Kathy Hochul Thursday announced that 1,400 households will benefit from more than $46 million in grant awards to support affordable homeownership. The grants will help low- and moderate-income families make repairs or safety upgrades to their homes, replace manufactured homes, and provide down payment assistance for first-time buyers. The grants – administered by New York State Homes and Community Renewal’s Office of Community Renewal – were awarded to nonprofit organizations and localities to help preserve affordable housing, support veterans and older New Yorkers, increase access to homeownership, and strengthen local economies. Central New York is the recipient of over $4 million in awards and will serve a proposed 109 units. The City of Cortland and the Village of Homer will receive $500,00 and $480,000 respectively to help with projects that improve communities and benefit their residents. Housing grants can be used for housing rehabilitation of owner-occupied or renter-occupied homes, down payment assistance for low- and moderate-income first-time homebuyers, and private water/wastewater system assistance for low- and moderate-income homeowners. Home Headquarters Inc. and Onondaga County Community Development will receive $239,200 and $150,000 respectively to make homes accessible for low- and moderate-income persons with disabilities so that they can continue living safely and comfortably in their residences or return to live in their residences instead of in an institutional setting. Cayuga County Homsite Development Corp. and Stoneleigh Housing, Inc. will receive $500,000 and $200,000 respectively to assist senior citizen homeowners with the cost of addressing emergencies and code violations that pose a threat to their health and safety or affect the livability of the home. Assistance for the cost of these critical repairs enables seniors to continue to live independently in their homes. Covenant Housing Corp. of Central New York, Community Action Program for Madison County, the City of Fulton and Cayuga County Homsite Development Corp. will receive $400,000, $429,670, $585,500 and $700,000 respectively to acquire and/or rehabilitate single-family housing, provide down payment assistance, replace dilapidated mobile and manufactured homes as well as provide tenant-based rental assistance to households with incomes at or below 80 percent of Area Median Income. “As housing costs continue to rise, this significant investment will help carve out a path to affordable homeownership for 1,400 New York families,” Hochul said. “My administration is using every tool at our disposal to address the state’s housing crisis, and we will continue to push forward on programs, strategies, and funding initiatives that put New Yorkers in safe, affordable homes.”
