NY State Attorney General announces $300,000 Grant for Affordable Housing in Monroe County
In November, NY State Attorney General Letitia James announced that the Housing Council at PathStone—a member of the New York’s Landlord Ambassador Program serving Monroe County— received 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.
“Every New Yorker deserves a safe and affordable place to call home,” said Attorney General James.“This funding is an important effort to increase the stock and quality of housing across the state, including in Monroe County. This funding will go a long way in supporting landlords and tenants throughout the region.”
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.”
Founded in 1971, the Housing Council at PathStone is one of New York’s largest HUD-approved comprehensive counseling agencies. This not-for-profit corporation serves more than 8,000 households in Monroe County annually. Under the Landlord Ambassador Program, it will provide technical assistance to owners of small- to medium-sized multifamily housing to connect them to resources such as New York State Homes and Community Renewal’s Small Building Participating Loan Program (PLP) and HOME Local Program Small Rental Development Initiative (SRDI). These resources are vital to achieving the program’s goal to assist owners in upgrading and preserving their buildings for long-term affordability.“I want to thank Attorney General James for expanding this program across the State of New York,” said Susan Boss, Executive director, The Housing Council at PathStone. “We look forward to serving the City of Rochester with this creative program that increases the supply of quality, affordable housing that is in high demand. We look forward to assisting landlords and providing them with access to low-cost resources and technical assistance to preserve their properties.”
“I want to commend Attorney General Letitia James for her visionary investments to expand the Landlord Ambassador Program to municipalities across the State of New York,” said Rochester Mayor Lovely A. Warren. “This funding will greatly enhance the mission of our partners at the Housing Council at PathStone to ensure our community offers a robust inventory of high-quality, rental properties at affordable rates. Thanks to the support of Attorney General James, the City of Rochester and its partners are making great progress in our efforts to provide city residents with increased access to safe, quality, and affordable housing, which helps us create more jobs, safer, and more vibrant neighborhoods and better educational opportunities.”