Mount Vernon, Newburgh and White Plains are among 10 municipalities named by Attorney General Letitia James as recipients of more than $8 million in grant awards allocated in the Cities for Responsible Investment and Strategic Enforcement (Cities RISE) program.
Launched in April 2017, the program finances local efforts to address blighted, vacant and poorly maintained residential properties created in the aftermath of the Great Recession. The two-phase program provides municipalities with a two-year access to an online platform designed to integrate and analyze data including code enforcement records, tax liens, and fire and police data.
In the second phase, the cities will work with Harvard Kennedy School”™s Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation and Tolemi, a social enterprise that created the BuildingBlocks platform, to upgrade code enforcement strategies and chart new housing-focused solutions.
The cities can also apply for a grant of up to $1 million to develop new housing or code enforcement programs. All 10 cities selected for the program will receive between $546,000 and $1 million to implement their code enforcement programs with an emphasis on making code enforcement more effective, efficient, and equitable.
“In the aftermath of the foreclosure crisis, New Yorkers are continuing to struggle to find and maintain quality affordable housing options,” James said. “Cities RISE provides a thoughtful approach to how municipalities revitalize its communities and ensures that housing issues are addressed.”
White Plains Mayor Tom Roach noted that the program allowed his city “to closely examine the issues of overcrowding and illegal housing in our community. We have looked at the causes and impacts from a code enforcement perspective, as well as from the neighborhood/community and tenant perspectives.
“As a result of the Cities RISE process,” he continued, “White Plains applied for an Innovation Grant that will allow us to create an Emergency Rental Housing Repair and Tenant Displacement Support Fund, pilot a new position of Neighborhood Conditions Coordinator/Community Liaison within the Building Department, and increase our overall level of outreach and community engagement.”
Mount Vernon Mayor Shawyn Patterson-Howard also welcomed the program, saying that “incentives such as these will start the process of revitalizing in those areas most in need of attention. These funds will also help hire new code enforcement officers that play a massive role in improving the quality of life in our great city.”
In addition to the three regional cities, the program encompasses Albany, Binghamton, Buffalo, Elmira, Niagara Falls, Rochester and Syracuse.
With the NY state budget $6 BILLION in the hole, why is the state still handing out money like there is no deficit?