$2.7 million NYS grant will fund housing repairs for formerly homeless Suffolk residents
"The combination of affordable housing and supportive services is the most effective tool we have in addressing chronic homelessness," OTDA Commissioner Barbara C. Guinn said in a statement. Credit: Newsday/J. Conrad Williams Jr.
A social services nonprofit plans to use $2.7 million in state grant funding to renovate 18 homes in Suffolk County for formerly homeless residents.
The New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance awarded the grant funding to Community Housing Innovations Inc., a nonprofit with offices in White Plains and Patchogue, to upgrade the homes.
The funding comes from a pool of $6.1 million in grants from last year’s state budget, which the agency awarded on Friday to rehabilitate 56 homes in Albany, Niagara and Suffolk counties for families that have experienced homelessness, according to a news release from the assistance office.
"The combination of affordable housing and supportive services is the most effective tool we have in addressing chronic homelessness," said agency Commissioner Barbara C. Guinn in a statement.
The funding comes as Long Island's homeless population increases. The number of homeless Long Islanders increased by 32% from 2022 to 2024, according to a report from the New York State Comptroller.
Maintaining existing homes is one step that can help limit homelessness on Long Island, said Mike Giuffrida, associate director of the Long Island Coalition for the Homeless.
"We know that the lack of affordable housing is the leading cause of homelessness," Giuffrida said in an email. "Increasing affordable housing starts with maintaining existing affordable housing, keeping people housed, and then finding new ways that meet local needs."
Representatives for Community Housing Innovations Inc. did not respond to requests for comment.
The grants are part of Gov. Kathy Hochul's plan, first announced in 2022, to spend $25 billion over five years to create or preserve 100,000 affordable units across the state.
Roughly $1.35 million of the funds will support repairs, including electrical upgrades, across nine homes with 36 beds in Blue Point, Central Islip, Holtsville, Lindenhurst, Patchogue and Wheatley Heights, according to the state agency.
Another $600,000 will go toward rehabbing four homes with 17 beds in Medford and Central Islip, including boiler and electrical repairs, and $750,000 will fund repairs to five homes with 15 beds in Brentwood, Center Moriches, Middle Island and Shirley, according to the agency.
The properties were built between 1992 and 2002 with funds from the Homeless Housing and Assistance Program, which provides grants and loans to build or fix housing for formerly homeless residents, according to the state.
The grant money will fund new roofs, windows, kitchens, bathrooms and other upgrades for the 18 homes, according to the news release.
The upgrades may save the state money in the long run. Housing Long Islanders is often cheaper, because those with housing see fewer emergency room visits and other crisis services, Giuffrida said.
"Permanent Supportive Housing, specifically, is significantly cheaper than leaving chronically homeless individuals on the street," Giuffrida said in an email.
