Westchester County NY Government

July 31, 2018 -- In order to enable Westchester municipalities to apply for federal community development funding, to help municipalities making improvements, to help the County’s neediest population and to help people stay in their homes, County Executive George Latimer announced today the reestablishment of the Westchester Urban County Consortium.

The new consortium is comprised of 25 towns and villages in the County, with a combined population of over 347,000 residents. The cooperation agreements and accompanying Board of Legislators resolution were submitted today to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

To reestablish the Consortium, the County Executive convened a meeting in March 2018 of the eligible municipalities along with regional HUD representatives. The County then worked directly with each eligible municipality to educate them on the benefits, responsibilities and application process for the program. Westchester County is eligible to apply for three grant programs:

• Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) which provides funds to local municipalities and nonprofits for physical facilities and public services;

• HOME Program which provides funds to developers of affordable housing; and

• Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) which provides funds to non-profits for homeless and eviction prevention programs, on behalf of the Urban Consortium.

Latimer said: “Westchester County stands to get millions in much needed funding from these programs. I am pleased to have jump-started the process for municipalities and nonprofits to receive much-needed federal funding for important local projects such as infrastructure improvements, and community development. This is another example of how working cooperatively at all levels of government, we can provide real benefits to residents and save money for local taxpayers.”

The 2019 grants would be the first the County has received since 2010. The County had lost its eligibility due to non-compliance with the HUD Fair and Affordable Housing Settlement. With the acceptance by HUD of the Analysis of Impediments, the County has in place the required study of barriers to fair housing, and can once again apply.

The Westchester County Planning Department will administer Consortium funds and provide member municipalities with technical assistance throughout the application and grant administration process. Cities with a population over 50,000 are eligible to apply directly to HUD for these funds.

Commissioner of the Westchester County Department of Planning Norma Drummond said: “By Westchester County administering this Program, we make the process simpler for our local municipalities, and eliminate the need for them to compete in the New York State Small Cities Program. The HOME funds will leverage the County’s own resources to help build more affordable housing, and the ESG funds can help keep families in their homes when they are facing eviction.”

Congresswoman Nita Lowey said: “Reestablishing the Westchester County Urban Consortium is an important step forward in securing the necessary federal resources to meet the community development, housing and infrastructure needs of our communities.  I was proud to have brokered an agreement with New York State in 2015 that made $5 million in HUD funding available to local governments and nonprofits, which were kept from receiving these funds because of the then County administration’s non-compliance with a legal settlement.  Important federal investments will continue to be made in projects throughout Westchester, from public infrastructure to child care services, and I thank County Executive Latimer and his administration for their commitment to our consortium partners.”

Congressman Eliot Engel said: “I applaud County Executive Latimer for his commitment to affordable housing and community development.  Federal CDBG, HOME and ESG funds have the power to make a real difference in Westchester communities, and I look forward to continuing to partner with him to see all the tremendous work that can be accomplished.”

Congressman Sean Patrick Maloney said: “For years, Westchester has missed out on millions of dollars in federal funds meant to help fix up communities that need a hand – but thankfully those days are over.  The people of Westchester have made it incredibly clear that they want to compete for the federal investments they’re eligible for.  I’m proud to do my part in Washington to make this funding available.  I’m glad to see more of this funding will return to the Hudson Valley – and I thank County Executive Latimer for his work on this.”

Greenburgh Town Supervisor Paul Feiner said: “Greenburgh is very glad that Westchester County is re-establishing the consortium to receive Community Development Block Grants.  Since [unincorporated] Greenburgh does not have a large enough population to apply for these federal grants directly, we need to work cooperatively with the County and other municipalities to be eligible for these federal funds.  The Town has benefitted from this funding in the past, and we are grateful to County Executive George Latimer for reviving this opportunity so we can benefit from these federal grants going forward.”

Mayor of Port Chester Richard “Fritz” Falanka said: “The CDBG Program has been very helpful to the Village of Port Chester in the past, where we did projects like sidewalk repairs, park improvements, the Senior Center and the bulk head. We are very happy to see this program reinstated, and thank County Executive Latimer for re-establishing the Consortium.  We look forward to receiving additional funds in the future to help our Village.”

Below is the list of local municipalities with approved agreements, as of July 31, 2018.

Westchester Urban County Consortium: