Governor Announces up to $20M in Funding Available to Eligible Homeowners for Resiliency Repairs and Upgrades

Governor Kathy Hochul announced on Monday 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.

“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.”

Eligible homeowners earning up to 120 percent 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 percent low-interest loan. In the Nassau-Suffolk area, 120 percent of the median income is $131,220 for an individual and $187,440 for a family of four.

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 that assumed the portfolio of the governor’s office of storm recovery in 2022.

Community Development Corporation of Long Island, based in Suffolk County, is the program administrator for Long Island. It is now accepting applications. Contact information, along with program information, is available on HCR’s website, hcr.ny.gov.

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 on the Shinnecock territory in Southampton.

The program complements New York’s efforts to address climate change by achieving economy-wide carbon-neutrality by 2050 and is an example of HCR’s investments in sustainability and resilience including long-term recovery efforts for Hurricane Ida, investing clean energy projects in affordable housing and assisting residents with weatherization of their homes among other initiatives.

“The unpredictability and ferocity of storms caused by climate change requires us to take proactive steps to protect our communities in the face of future serious weather,” said Homes and Community Renewal Commissioner RuthAnne Visnauskas. “By expanding this innovative program, we can help hundreds of additional homeowners so they can make the types of improvements that protect their homes for the long-term.”

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.”