Housing Programs Not Funded in State Budget

We Need Your Urgent Help!

Call: (518) 474-8390

 or write: Governor Andrew M. Cuomo, Capitol, Albany, NY 12224 

TRIP and Rensselaer County Housing Resources (RCHR) help hundreds of people each year through homeownership opportunities, foreclosure prevention counseling, community programs, and lots more. NOW WE NEED YOUR HELP.  Stunningly, the governor’s proposed State budget will eliminate three key housing programs that provide key operating funding, enabling us to provide a myriad of housing and community services.

Here is the story and how you can help.

The governor has eliminated all funding for the Neighborhood Preservation Program and the Rural Preservation Program. The relatively small amounts of funding that TRIP and RCHR got under these programs in past years is seed money that allows us to cover portions of basic operating costs so that we can secure funding to deliver specific programs like Homebuyer Education, financial counseling, Mini-Repair services and Landlord Training, among others. The small State investment is leveraged many times over, providing a great “bang for the buck.” In 2010, for example, TRIP paid $192,924 in local property taxes, assisted 87 families facing foreclosure, repaired 278 homes, counseled 436 families in homeownership issues, and assisted 78 families become homeowners. The result: more than $10.1 million in mortgages, $2 million in local business, small contractors had work, and more.

Additionally, the governor eliminated all funding for the State’s Foreclosure Prevention Services Program. Predictions are that foreclosures will increase this year as the robo-signing issue that slowed down foreclosures last year are now resolved. However, with zero funding to the State’s Foreclosure Prevention Program, housing counselors skilled in complex foreclosure negotiations and legal service attorneys assisting homeowners in court will be laid off around the state. Homeowners often are unable to navigate through the foreclosure process on their own; foreclosure counseling nearly doubles a homeowner’s chance of getting her mortgage modified. Analysis shows that foreclosures cost communities quite a bit through decreased taxes, lowered property values, and safety issues. Without funding through the State’s foreclosure program, TRIP will no longer be able to assist families facing foreclosures, as we did with 87 families last year.

If you care about TRIP and RCHR’s housing services and the impact on Troy and Rensselaer County, we ask that you contact the governor’s office today at (518) 474-8390 or Governor Andrew M. Cuomo, Capitol, Albany, NY 12224 urging him to restore funding to the Neighborhood and Rural Preservation Programs and the Foreclosure Prevention Program.

Please call today because the deadline for him to add funding to his budget is very soon.

Thank you so much for your help.

Your friends at TRIP & RCHR