By Hank Russell
Cover credit – Image by Wirestock on Freepik
Governor Kathy Hochul (D) announced on November 4 that up to $20 million is available for eligible homeowners in flood-prone areas to make proactive flood mitigation and energy-efficiency improvements to their homes as part of a new round of funding for the Resilient Retrofits Program. This latest round of funding builds upon the program’s initial $10 million allocation as part of a pilot phase in 2023.
Eligible homeowners earning up to 120% of their Area Median Income can apply for up to $50,000, half of which is available as a grant and half as a 3% low-interest loan. Program funds can be used to cover the cost of proactive improvements such as installing flood vents, a sump pump, or backwater valve/backflow preventer; moving utilities above the flood line; adding insulation; electrifying heating systems; or installing energy-efficient appliances or lighting.
Resilient Retrofits is managed by New York State Homes and Community Renewal’s Office of Resilient Homes and Communities, a permanent office which assumed the portfolio of the Governor’s Office of Storm Recovery in 2022.
The program has three local program administrators – Home HeadQuarters based in Syracuse, the Center for New York City Neighborhoods based in New York City, and Community Development Corporation of Long Island, based in Suffolk County. All program administrators are now accepting applications. Contact information, along with program information, is available on HCR’s website: https://hcr.ny.gov/resilient-retrofits
According to the governor’s office, since Resilient Retrofits launched as a pilot in 2023, more than 200 homeowners have been approved and 60 homes have completed their resiliency upgrades. Applications have been received from homeowners in cities across the State including Syracuse, Buffalo and New York City. The program also served nearly 20 homeowners in the Shinnecock Tribal Nations in the town of Southampton.
“We are committed to building resilient communities and ensuring more New Yorkers are protected from extreme weather before it occurs,” Hochul said. “By expanding our successful Resilient Retrofits program, eligible homeowners have access to additional resources that can help keep their families and their homes out of harm’s way.”
Community Development Long Island President & CEO Gwen O’Shea said, “Long Island ranks among the most vulnerable regions in the country for exposure to the physical and economic risks of climate change; specifically rising sea levels and flooding. CDLI is proud to partner with Governor Hochul and HCR to provide financial support through the Resiliency Retrofit program. These critical funds will allow homeowners to undertake the vital mitigation and sustainability improvements to protect their most precious asset, their home.”
This article originally appeared in Long Island Life and Politics. For more from LILP, visit the online at lilifepolitics.com.
