News from New York State Division of Housing & Community Renewal

For more information contact: Nancy Peters, 518-473-2526

DHCR Home Ownership Program Receives $1 Million Federal Grant

Check presented on Thursday, Oct 11

ALBANY, NY (10/10/2007; 1452)(readMedia)-- **MEDIA ADVISORY** PHOTO OPPORTUNITY

NYS DHCR Home Ownership Program Honored with $1 Million Federal Grant Commissioner to Accept Check at Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program Annual Conference

• WHAT: Presentation of “mock” $1 million check

• WHEN: Thursday, October 11 at Noon

• WHERE: Sheraton, Syracuse University, 801 University Avenue, Syracuse, N.Y.

• WHO: Josephine Robinson, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and Deborah VanAmerongen, Commissioner of the NYS Division of Housing & Community Renewal (DHCR)

Albany, NY—The New York State Division of Housing & Community Renewal’s Statewide Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program is a first-time recipient of an Assets for Independence Grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Josephine Robinson, Director of the Office of Community Services, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will present a mock check representing this honor to Commissioner VanAmerongen at the Section 8 program annual conference.

Since 1977, the statewide Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program has provided rental assistance and home ownership opportunities to extremely low, very low, and low-income households in New York State. New York’s program has closed more Section 8 mortgages than any other public housing agency in the country, reaching the 200 mark this year. Today’s vouchers are administered to approximately 38,000 families in 50 local programs across the state. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the program.

Assets for Independence is a federal grant program that enables community-based nonprofits and state, local, and tribal government agencies to implement and demonstrate and asset-based approach for offering low-income families help out of poverty.

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