Western New York Not-For-Profits to Receive 26 Awards Totaling $9 million for Important Housing Programs

ALBANY, NY (09/16/2010)(readMedia)-- Governor David A. Paterson today announced 26 awards totaling more than $9 million to not-for-profit housing agencies and local governments in Western New York that will help to build, rehabilitate or modify 421 homes for low-income families, people with disabilities and frail elderly homeowners and tenants.

Governor Paterson said "These awards will help to leverage additional investments of nearly $6 million from public and private sources that will create jobs and increase our stock of affordable housing. More importantly, these awards will dramatically improve the quality of life for thousands of vulnerable New Yorkers. They will make the homes of frail elderly and people with disabilities more accessible so they can remain in their communities rather than being forced into an institution, and they will help to repair dangerous conditions in the homes of low-income elderly."

The state's top housing official, Brian Lawlor, said "These awards allow our partners, primarily not-for-profit community groups, to administer important programs that will help thousands of New Yorkers live in safe, affordable homes. And this year, thanks in large part to the integration of the state's primary housing agencies, we were better able to coordinate these awards with funding from other housing programs. Coordination of scarce resources allows us to maximize the positive impact our programs have on communities and families all across our state."

The awards were made through three programs administered by the State's integrated Housing Agencies:

The HOME Program – The board approved 16 awards totaling $7.2 million through this federally funded program, which allows community-based non-profit housing organizations as well as local governments and private developers, to acquire, rehabilitate, or construct housing, or to provide assistance to low-income home-buyers and renters.

This year, four awards totaling more than $2 million in HOME funds were used to support the Manufactured Home Replacement Initiative (MHRI) in Western New York. MHRI is a new program created to address the growing crisis of outdated, dilapidated and dangerous mobile and manufactured homes in New York.

Thanks to the recently completed integration of the State's housing agencies, funding decisions are now made in a more coordinated process, and funding from several other sources was utilized to bolster the HOME awards. As a result, Western New York agencies received additional funding totaling more than $1 million for the MHRI through other programs, primarily the NYS Community Development Block Grant program and the Affordable Housing Corporation.

Manufactured homes are an extremely important part of the state's affordable housing portfolio. More than 500,000 New Yorkers live in manufactured homes, more than twice the number in Mitchell-Lama Housing, which is the state's largest housing program. The funding will help local program administrators replace dilapidated mobile homes with new, state-of-the-art, ENERGY STAR qualified manufactured homes.

RESTORE – (Residential Emergency Services to Offer Repairs to the Elderly) Program funds are used to pay for the cost of emergency repairs to eliminate hazardous conditions in homes owned by the elderly when the homeowners cannot afford to make the repairs in a timely fashion.

The board approved seven RESTORE awards totaling $525,000 for Western New York organizations to make emergency repairs to 112 homes. The awards include a $75,000 grant for the Niagara Community Action Program to provide emergency repairs for elderly homeowners who are frail or have physical disabilities. Funding for this initiative is also being provided by local governments and the State Weatherization Assistance Program.

The Access to Home Program – this innovative program provides financial assistance to property owners to make modifications to the homes of frail elderly and people with disabilities, such as ramps, bathroom handrails and other features to enhance accessibility and safety. The program enables individuals to safely and comfortably continue to live in their residences and avoid institutional care. The board approved three Access to Home awards totaling $1.2 million for Western New York, which will help to modify 70 homes in the region.

The awards include a $350,000 grant to the United Cerebral Palsy Association of the Rochester Area (UCPA Rochester). The award will help make 20 units in the area accessible and safe for people with physical disabilities and people who are frail elderly. UCPA Rochester is providing additional funding for the project.

A complete list of awards can be found online at: http://nysdhcr.gov/Funding/Awards/UnifiedFunding/2010LocalProgramAwards/