{"id":2008,"date":"2020-07-29T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-07-29T09:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/council.nyc.gov\/press\/?p=2008"},"modified":"2020-08-05T17:41:15","modified_gmt":"2020-08-05T17:41:15","slug":"council-speaker-corey-johnson-and-housing-committee-chair-robert-cornegy-announce-funding-to-help-keep-new-yorkers-in-their-homes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/council.nyc.gov\/press\/2020\/07\/29\/2008\/","title":{"rendered":"Council Speaker Corey Johnson and Housing Committee Chair Robert Cornegy Announce Funding to Help Keep New Yorkers in Their Homes"},"content":{"rendered":"

The City Council designated more than $12 million in Fiscal Year 2021\u00a0budget\u00a0to\u00a0support various housing initiatives, including tenant advocacy and eviction prevention\u00a0programs\u00a0as we battle the COVID-19 pandemic and its aftermath\u00a0\u00a0<\/em>\u00a0<\/p>\n

New York, NY<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Council Speaker Corey Johnson and Council Housing and Buildings Committee Chair Robert\u00a0Cornegy\u00a0today announced that the City Council is funding several programs to\u00a0provide relief to\u00a0both\u00a0renters and homeowners,\u00a0which are now needed more than ever as\u00a0we battle the COVID-19 pandemic\u00a0and its devastating financial impacts to New Yorkers. These programs provide anti-eviction services\u00a0for renters\u00a0and\u00a0help\u00a0mitigate foreclosures\u00a0for homeowners. Services include\u00a0housing court assistance\u00a0for tenants, foreclosure prevention programming, and\u00a0legal and financial assistance to\u00a0develop and expand the\u00a0community land trust model\u00a0citywide.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

The FY 2021 budget includes more than $12 million\u00a0to fund\u00a0programs for renters and homeowners, including more than $3.1 million for housing preservation initiatives, more than $3.2 million for foreclosure prevention programs, and over $2.5 million for Stabilizing NYC, an initiative put in place to combat the loss of affordable housing at the hands of predatory equity companies.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

This is a critical time to provide relief to renters, especially communities that\u00a0have been\u00a0disproportionately\u00a0impacted\u00a0by COVID-19.\u00a0Hundreds\u00a0of thousands of New Yorkers lost their jobs or were furloughed because of the coronavirus,\u00a0and many will soon face eviction proceedings once the moratorium on evictions for those affected by the pandemic expires on August 20, and housing courts begin to reopen.\u00a0In addition, the extra $600\u00a0week unemployment benefits as part of the federal stimulus package\u00a0(Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation)\u00a0ends\u00a0this Friday, July 31, putting\u00a0economically\u00a0vulnerable renters further at risk of displacement.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had a housing and affordability crisis before COVID-19 hit. We can\u2019t let this pandemic make a horrific situation catastrophic. We worked together to flatten the curve,\u00a0now let\u2019s work together to prevent unnecessary evictions\u00a0and homelessness.\u00a0We need to stabilize our neighborhoods and keep on fighting to ensure New York City is affordable for all,\u201d\u00a0said Council Speaker Corey Johnson<\/strong>.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cMore affordability and more housing security are touchstones of a housing policy that serves all New Yorkers,\u00a0said\u00a0Council Member Robert E. Cornegy, Jr<\/strong>.\u00a0\u201cThe investments we announce take important steps forward in serving those aims. We make important investments in community-based organizations that provide education and legal services for renters and homeowners. We provide for onramps to emergency loan programs to help homeowners in crisis. We shore up pathways towards permanent affordable housing in the future through community land trusts. Collectively, these investments in housing will grant greater peace of mind to countless New Yorkers and help keep our shared communities whole.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThese millions of dollars in funding will help keep New Yorkers safe and in their homes during the pandemic,” said Councilmember\u00a0Daniel Dromm, Chair of the Committee on Finance<\/strong>.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cEvictions and foreclosures pose tremendous burdens on tenants and homeowners during ‘normal’ times; during a public health emergency, these experiences are downright terrifying. Tenants and homeowners need relief, and they need it now. I am pleased to work alongside Speaker Johnson, Chair Gibson and Chair\u00a0Cornegy\u00a0on this timely effort which will serve as a lifeline to many of NYC’s most impacted families.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cCOVID-19 devastated our city and targeted our most vulnerable populations,\u201d said\u00a0Council<\/strong>\u00a0Member Vanessa L. Gibson, Chair of Subcommittee on Capital Budget<\/strong>. \u201cEven as things slowly start to improve, it is essential that we continue to provide relief to our renters and homeowners that were hardest hit by the pandemic. The anti-eviction services and foreclosure assistance that were funded in the FY \u201821 budget is the first step in ensuring that there is critical support for residents once the moratorium is lifted on August 20th and eviction proceedings resume. I want to thank Speaker Corey Johnson, my colleague Council Member Robert\u00a0Cornegy\u00a0and all of my other colleagues in the Council that advocated for this important piece of funding during a very difficult budget season.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are extremely grateful for the funding from the New York City Council and applaud Speaker Johnson and Housing Committee Chair Cornegy for their continued support of eviction prevention services. Council funding allows our hotline to continue providing up-to-date information on the eviction moratorium and the Housing Courts to tenants and small landlords. Housing Court Answers talks to over 150 callers a day to help them get rent arrears assistance, emergency access to the courts and legal help. The New York City Council support will be a huge part of keeping New Yorkers housed during this pandemic,\u201d said\u00a0Jenny Laurie, Executive Director, Housing Court Answers<\/strong>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe City\u2019s investment in foreclosure prevention is critical to stabilizing homeowners and their renters, particularly in communities of color, who have been among the hardest-hit from the coronavirus crisis,\u201d said\u00a0Christie Peale, CEO\/Executive Director for the Center for NYC Neighborhoods<\/strong>. \u201cThank you to the Council, Speaker Johnson, and Buildings Committee Chair Robert Cornegy for ensuring that our homeowners have a place to turn during this difficult time.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Among the initiatives that the City Council funds are:<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n

Community Housing Preservation Strategies:<\/strong>\u00a0The City Council designated more than $3.1 million to support community-based organizations\u00a0implement neighborhood-based\u00a0strategies to combat the loss of affordable housing.\u00a0 This program supports 50 organizations\u00a0that work in areas\u00a0that include tenant organizing, housing court assistance, code enforcement advocacy, apartment repossession and additional housing public education campaigns.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Stabilizing NYC:<\/strong>\u00a0This initiative focuses on defending low-income tenants from\u00a0harassment and eviction in\u00a0buildings owned by private companies that engage in\u00a0predatory equity. It assists tenants to fight bogus eviction cases and holds landlords accountable for lack of repairs in their buildings. The City Council designated a little over $2.5 million for this programming.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Housing Court Answers:<\/strong>\u00a0The City Council designated $650,000 to support anti-eviction education and referral services at the City\u2019s housing courts. The initiative offers counseling and\u00a0connects tenants and small landlords seeking assistance to\u00a0legal services in housing court.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Foreclosure Prevention Programs:\u00a0<\/strong>This Council initiative provides funding to the Neighborhood Restore Housing Development Fund and the Center for New York City Neighborhoods for foreclosure prevention programs. These programs\u00a0assist homeowners with\u00a0legal and loan remediation assistance, the purchase of distressed mortgage notes, foreclosure prevention counseling, mortgage modifications, outreach, education, training, and advocacy regarding subprime lending and mortgage foreclosures.\u00a0The\u00a0Council designated over $3.2 million\u00a0this year.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Community Land Trust Initiative:\u00a0<\/strong>The\u00a0City Council designated\u00a0$637,500\u00a0to\u00a0support community-based organizations that\u00a0work\u00a0on a neighborhood\u00a0level\u00a0to\u00a0develop and expand the community land trust model citywide,\u00a0a model\u00a0that\u00a0focuses\u00a0on preserving affordable housing through nonprofit ownership of the land. The programming includes legal and financial assistance to establish community land trust models.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Home Loan Program:<\/strong>\u00a0The City Council designated $1.7 million for\u00a0emergency\u00a0Home Loan repairs. Of this amount,\u00a0$850,000\u00a0will support\u00a0the Home Emergency Loan Program, known as Project HELP, which is administered by the Housing and Preservation Department (HPD) and\u00a0the Housing Services Organizations (NHS). The program offers direct, low-interest home improvement loans to property owners of one-to-four-family homes across the City. Loans can be used for emergency repairs, such as roofs leaks, water main breaks and heating system repairs. Additionally, the Council designated $850,000 to the Center for New York City Neighborhoods to provide financial and technical assistance\u00a0to additional homeowners seeking repair loans\u00a0in cooperation with HPD and NHS.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

###<\/em> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The City Council designated more than $12 million in Fiscal Year 2021\u00a0budget\u00a0to\u00a0support various housing initiatives, including tenant advocacy and eviction prevention\u00a0programs\u00a0as we battle the COVID-19 pandemic and its aftermath\u00a0\u00a0<\/em>\u00a0<\/p>\n

New York, NY<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Council Speaker Corey Johnson and Council Housing and Buildings Committee Chair Robert\u00a0Cornegy\u00a0today announced that the City Council is funding several programs to\u00a0provide relief to\u00a0both\u00a0renters and homeowners,\u00a0which are now needed more than ever as\u00a0we battle the COVID-19 pandemic\u00a0and its devastating financial impacts to New Yorkers.<\/p>\n

…<\/p>\n

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