Summit at Rural Outreach Center draws Elected Officials, Local Planning and Zoning Board Members and Affordable Housing Developers
ECE Poloncarz, DCE Chimera Outline Erie County Investments, Emphasize Need for More Housing
ERIE COUNTY, NY— Erie County’s need for affordable housing remains a chief concern of the Poloncarz administration and today’s fourth-annual housing summit drew dozens of elected officials, affordable housing developers, members of local planning and zoning boards, and concerned citizens to the Rural Outreach Center in the Town of Aurora to discuss the issue and work together on solutions. Erie County Executive Mark C. Poloncarz and Deputy Erie County Executive Lisa M. Chimera addressed the Summit, organized by the county Department of Environment and Planning, and noted the investments the county has made to address the housing crisis while also exhorting attendees to learn more about the issue.
“Today I ask that you think about the increasingly serious problem of housing affordability for many renters and homeowners alike here in Erie County. The need for increased housing affordability options is great in all our communities,” said Deputy Erie County Executive Lisa M. Chimera. “Affordable housing for seniors and families is especially in great need in Erie County and one of the reasons why we are here today at the Rural Outreach Center to discuss the Center’s Affordable Housing Corporation (ROC-AHC) and its progress in creating new units of affordable housing in the Village of North Collins. My hope is that this Housing Summit will better inform participants of potential funding opportunities for affordable housing and create a space for collaboration between developers, non-profit and private organizations, and government officials.”
In 2022, Erie County received $3.4 million in federal Home Investment Partnership (“HOME”) funds disbursed to the county through its Community Development Consortium of 34 municipalities. In April of 2023, $500,000 of these funds were awarded to each of six developers of affordable housing, totaling $3 million. The six projects will be in the City of Tonawanda, the Villages of Angola and North Collins, and the Towns of West Seneca and Hamburg, with two projects being funded in Hamburg. These six projects will result in a total of 408 new units of affordable housing in our community. One of those six Erie County funded projects was the ROC-AHC project in the village of North Collins.
In addition to HOME funds, Erie County has allocated $20 million in American Rescue Plan (“ARP”) funds to develop affordable housing using three different approaches. First, Erie County is partnering with the regional land bank, the Buffalo Erie Niagara Land Improvement Corporation (“BENLIC”), on a $13.5 million infill housing program to build single-family homes on vacant lots in the City of Buffalo and the Town of Cheektowaga.
Secondly, Erie County is allocating $5.5 million to fund 11 multifamily affordable housing projects at $500,000 each, supporting the construction of 703 affordable units. And lastly, Erie County is supporting new and emerging affordable housing developers through $1 million in ARP funding to fund 5 projects to create an additional 48 units of affordable housing.
For more information:
On the Erie County Department of Environment and Planning, visit
https://www3.erie.gov/environment/
# # #
