Tompkins County to seek up to $750,000 in CDBG housing rehab funds

Tompkins County staff informed the legislature and the public that the county intends to apply for Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding aimed at housing rehabilitation. David West explained the county's plan to seek up to $750,000 from New York State's allocation of $45 million under the Homes and Community Renewal program. The funds would support health, safety and energy-efficiency upgrades for owner-occupied homes whose occupants meet income-qualification rules.

West said projects would be administered by Ithaca Neighborhood Housing Services (INHS) as the county's subrecipient, and emphasized program constraints: a majority of benefit must serve low- and moderate-income households and projects must address critical systems such as roofs, foundations and lead abatement rather than cosmetic upgrades. Julia Yara, representing INHS at the hearing, identified herself and offered to answer questions about program administration. The public hearing was opened for comment and closed after those remarks; the application process will include further outreach and eligibility screening.