Governor Hochul Announces $25 Million in Grants to Help Low- and Moderate-income Homeowners Make Critical Repairs, Accessibility Modifications

Governor Kathy Hochul today announced that $25 million in grant awards have been made to nonprofit organizations and municipalities in every region of New York State to support safe and affordable homeownership. The grants will help low- and moderate-income homeowners make repairs or safety upgrades to their homes and provide down payment assistance for first-time buyers.  

“Every New Yorker deserves the dignity and stability of a secure place to live, and this funding will provide much-needed support to affordable and supportive housing services," Governor Kathy Hochul said. “These grants will go toward small communities all across the state, and they will fund critical programs that provide immediate assistance to New Yorkers in need. We can help build New York to be stronger than ever before by preserving housing, promoting homeownership, and supporting those who are vulnerable.”

A total of 66 grants were awarded through state and federally funded programs including: Access to Home, Access to Home for Heroes, Access to Home for Medicaid, Mobile and Manufactured Home Replacement, RESTORE, the NYS Community Development Block Grant Program, and the NYS HOME Local Program.  

Administered by New York State Homes and Community Renewal’s Office of Community Renewal, awards go directly to nonprofit organizations and municipalities to be administered locally and to help create and preserve affordable housing, serve veterans and older New Yorkers, improve and revitalize neighborhoods, and strengthen local economies.  

A breakdown of OCR programs and funding awarded is available below. A complete list of awards is available here. 

Access to Home
The Access to Home program provides financial assistance to make homes accessible for low- and moderate-income persons with disabilities. This assistance with the cost of adapting homes enables individuals to continue living safely and comfortably in their residences or return to live in their residences instead of in an institutional setting.   

HCR awarded eight Access to Home grants totaling $1.3 million that will benefit more than 80 households. 

Access to Home for Heroes
The Access to Home for Heroes program provides financial assistance to make homes accessible for low- and moderate-income veterans with disabilities. 

HCR awarded four Access to Home for Heroes grants totaling $1 million that will benefit nearly 60 households.  

Access to Home for Medicaid   
The Access to Home for Medicaid Recipients program provides financial assistance to make residential units accessible for Medicaid-eligible persons with disabilities. 

HCR awarded one $150,000 Access to Home for Medicaid Recipients grant that will benefit approximately 15 households.   

Mobile and Manufactured Home Replacement   
The Mobile and Manufactured Home Replacement program assists low- and moderate-income homeowners to replace dilapidated mobile or manufactured homes that are sited on land owned by the homeowner with a new manufactured, modular or site-built home. 

HCR awarded two MMHR grants totaling $800,000.  

RESTORE  
The RESTORE program provides financial resources 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.   

HCR awarded 10 RESTORE grants totaling $1.4 million that will benefit approximately 166 households.  

NYS CDBG Program 

New York State CDBG is a federally funded program administered by HCR that helps counties, cities, towns, and villages with projects that improve communities and benefit their residents. The CDBG 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.  

HCR awarded 22 CDBG Housing grants totaling $11.8 million that will benefit nearly 270 households. 

NYS HOME Local Program  

HCR administers NYS HOME Local Program funds to expand the supply of decent, safe, and affordable housing throughout the state. HOME funds can be used 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.  

HCR awarded 19 grants worth $10 million that will benefit approximately 200 owners or tenants.  

HCR Commissioner RuthAnne Visnauskas said, “Our $25 million in awards will make a huge difference in the lives of homeowners across the state. By providing these grants directly to the municipalities and nonprofit service providers, we can expand our reach and efficiency, allowing people to make accessibility modifications, address emergency repairs and replace obsolete manufactured homes. This helps ensure that older New Yorkers, disabled adults, veterans and people who are on fixed or limited incomes can remain living safely and securely in the place they call home.” 

State Senator and Chair of the Senate Housing Committee Brian Kavanagh said, “I have been proud to support these programs in the State budget and I applaud Governor Kathy Hochul and Commissioner RuthAnne Visnauskas for getting this critical assistance out to New Yorkers across the state. These grants will go a long way toward helping seniors, veterans, and people with disabilities maintain homeownership and make necessary repairs and safety upgrades to their homes. I congratulate the local nonprofit organizations and municipalities that are the recipients of these awards and thank them for their ongoing commitment to creating and preserving affordable housing.”

Assemblymember and Chair of the Assembly Housing Committee Steven Cymbrowitz said, “For so many New Yorkers, homeownership is a dream that falls outside the realm of possibility because of their financial situation and other challenges beyond their control. These grant awards will change and improve lives, helping first-time homebuyers make down payments and also assisting low- and moderate-income New Yorkers in making much-needed home repairs and upgrades. Thank you to Governor Hochul and HCR Commissioner Visnauskas for their ardent support of safe and affordable homeownership.”