BNI: Rebuilding Schenectady

Through a partnership with the Emmett Street Task Force, Better Neighborhoods, Inc. (BNI) has been awarded a rental rehabilitation grant from the New York State Division of Housing & Community Renewal. The $400,000 grant will be used to rehabilitate 18 sub standard rental units on Emmett Street, and will require a $1000 investment by the owners of the units. Priority work items will include handicapped accessibility and lead & asbestos testing, along with electrical, plumbing, heating and roof systems. A total of $21,333 in grant funds will be available for each apartment.

Also, BNI has received a $400,000 grant from the New York State Affordable Housing Corporation which will again focus on the Emmett Street corridor. These funds will be used to rehabilitate an additional 20 units of owner occupied housing. Candidates for these funds must be first time homebuyers with incomes below 60% of area median income.

Taken together, the initiatives described will substantially improve the quality of housing on Emmett Street, and have a long lasting effect on the quality of life in one of Schenectady’s oldest neighborhoods. Call the BNI Homeownership Center at 372-6469 for more information