FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:

Alex Dery Snider

202.641.5124

Statement from Empire Justice Center President and CEO Kristin Brown on Governor Hochul’s 30 Day amendments, which did not include new funding for the Homeowner Protection Program (HOPP):

“By not funding the Homeowner Protection Program, Governor Hochul is putting is today’s struggling homeowners at risk, in favor of building new housing years from now. All but 2% of funds from last year’s budget will be spent by the time the existing contracts end. Make no mistake: New York homeowners will lose their homes without HOPP’s protection, which will have disastrous impacts for them, their families, and their communities.

We don’t know what changed from the governor’s inclusion of HOPP in her executive budget last year, as HOPP is more necessary than ever to help homeowners grapple with post-COVID mortgage and tax delinquencies, access Homeowner Assistance Funds, prevent and redress deed theft and other scams, preserve affordable one-to-four family home rentals, and help preserve homeownership in Black and Brown communities.

We call on Governor Hochul to make homeowners – not just housing stock – the priority.”