Grant Allows For Albany To Make Major Housing Changes

The capital of the state of New York, Albany County, has received state grant funding to fund innovative programs that are related to housing as well as code enforcement. This is in hopes of creating new alternative solutions to the ones tried in the past.

Other counties that will receive grant funding are Rochester, Binghamton, Elmira, and Syracuse.  

Elmira and Albany will each receive a million dollars, with other municipalities being awarded anywhere from $546,000 to $1 million. 

These grants funds are part of the Cities for Responsible Investment and Strategic Enforcement (Cities RISE) program. Cities RISE was established in 2017 by then-Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, with the goal of: “providing local governments with innovative technology to address and transform problem properties—including homes and buildings that are blighted, poorly maintained, vacant, abandoned, and in financial distress—that fell into disrepair following the foreclosure crisis”. The program was to be funded up to $20 million dollars for these purposes and would be executed in multiple phases. 

Current Attorney General Letitia James had this to say regarding the grant funding for ten municipalities in New York that will total $8 million dollars: In the aftermath of the foreclosure crisis, New Yorkers are continuing to struggle to find and maintain quality affordable housing options.

Cities RISE provides a thoughtful approach to how municipalities revitalize its communities and ensures that housing issues are addressed. My office will continue to proudly use the funds secured from settlements with banks to combat New York’s housing crisis.”