Attorney General James Announces Up To $300,000 Grant For Affordable Housing In Columbia, Dutchess, And Putnam Counties
Attorney General James Announces up to $300,000 Grant for
Affordable Housing in Columbia, Dutchess, and Putnam Counties
Funded Through Landlord Ambassador Program to Create and Preserve Affordable Housing
NEW YORK – Attorney General Letitia James announced that Hudson River Housing, Inc.—a member of New York’s Landlord Ambassador Program serving Columbia, Dutchess, and Putnam counties—will receive up to $300,000 in funding to help preserve affordable housing in the region. The program, created by the Office of the Attorney General in 2017, helps preserve multifamily housing stock by partnering with local non-profits to assist landlords of distressed properties obtain financing for repairs or find new, responsible developers to take over the buildings.
“Many landlords in Dutchess, Columbia, and Putnam Counties are struggling to access critical resources needed to maintain their properties and provide affordable housing to low- and moderate-income families,” said Attorney General James. “We are proud to support this partnership between Hudson River Housing and local municipalities to identify property owners who might require assistance. We are stronger when we work together, and this program will help the region move in the right direction to address the local affordable housing needs.”
The Landlord Ambassador Program helps coordinate municipalities and property owners to help landlords access financing and technical support to repair occupied, distressed multifamily homes as well as preserve these homes as part of the region’s affordable housing stock. The program, administered in conjunction with Enterprise Community Partners, provides up to $1.5 million in grants for a two-year period to community-based non-profit organizations in six regions outside of New York City.
“Many landlords want to keep their properties affordable, but simply do not have access to the tools they need to do so,” said Judi Kende, vice president and New York market leader, Enterprise Community Partners. “The Landlord Ambassador program leverages the expertise of non-profit housing organizations to support landlords in their efforts to preserve affordable homes. We are excited to expand our partnership with the Attorney General and bring these valuable connections and expertise to even more landlords across the state.”
Incorporated in 1982, Hudson River Housing, Inc. began as a program focused on providing services for the rising number of homeless living in rural and urban Dutchess County. Since then, the organization has expanded through several counties in the Hudson Valley with the mission of building strong, sustainable communities by developing and preserving quality affordable housing and helping families and individuals obtain and maintain housing through education, advocacy, and support services.
“Hudson River Housing, Inc. is thrilled to have been awarded funds through the New York Attorney General’s Landlord Ambassador Program,” said Hudson River Housing Inc. Executive Director Christa Hines. “These funds will greatly enhance our capacity to create affordable housing options for our community and help property owners preserve affordable housing and improve their properties.”
“We applaud the Attorney General for providing this funding. Maintaining affordable housing is critical to preserving our communities,” said Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro. “We partner with Hudson River Housing to provide funding for construction of new affordable housing units, rental assistance, and counseling services. This new tool will further their ability to sustain and improve the affordable housing stock in our community.”
"I am in favor of a program that will provide landlords with the ability to improve the quality of housing, while keeping it affordable for low- to moderate-income families,” said Columbia County Board of Supervisors Chairman Matt C. Murell.
“We are pleased that Hudson River Housing will be administering the Landlord Ambassador Program in Putnam County. One of the greatest housing needs in Putnam County is the lack of rental housing,” said Putnam County Executive MaryEllen Odell. “This program will provide property owners with the ability to maintain rental properties helping keep their houses in good condition, maintaining these properties on the tax rolls, and helping to increase the rental housing stock. We look forward to working with Hudson River Housing on this initiative.”
This new round of the Landlord Ambassador Program is funded by an OAG obtained settlement with the Royal Bank of Scotland.