Kennedy, Ryan Welcome New Homeowner to Recently Renovated 19th Street Home; Announce Major Housing Grant for Buffalo’s West Side

Lawmakers announce $175,000 in state funds from NYS Affordable Housing Corporation to help rehab five more homes for ownership opportunities in 19th Street neighborhood. 

New homeowner Gary Damon Jr. accepts the keys to his 19th Street home, which Homefront Inc. recently rehabilitated, in a ceremonial key presentation. 

Kennedy: Homeownership has always been at the heart of the American Dream, and this state funding will help local families live the American Dream right here on Buffalo’s West Side.

BUFFALO, N.Y. – Senator Tim Kennedy and Assemblyman Sean Ryan today announced a major state grant award to substantially rehabilitate several vacant houses on Buffalo’s West Side. The New York State Affordable Housing Corporation (AHC) will invest $175,000 to renovate five vacant homes in the 19th Street neighborhood – which will, in turn, open up five new affordable opportunities for local families to purchase their own homes.

While announcing the new grant funding, Kennedy and Ryan welcomed new homeowner Gary Damon Jr. to his recently rehabilitated 19th Street home with a ceremonial key presentation. Mr. Damon’s new home is one of eight formerly vacant or foreclosed properties on 19th Street on Buffalo’s West Side, which local non-profit HomeFront, Inc. acquired, rehabilitated and re-sold. The agency also demolished two large blighted structures there, profoundly changing their two-block neighborhood  revitalization target area.

“Homeownership has always been at the heart of the American Dream, and this state grant funding will help local families make their American Dream a reality right here on Buffalo’s West Side,” said Senator Tim Kennedy. “There’s great energy and positive momentum taking hold of the City of Buffalo, especially on the West Side. It’s what happens when a community stands together to push for stronger, safer neighborhoods throughout Buffalo and Western New York. HomeFront and agencies like it have been hard at work renovating homes and revitalizing our community, and I want to thank them for their ongoing efforts. I also extend my congratulations to Mr. Gary Damon Jr. on his new home.”

“This infusion of new state funding will help to continue the transformation throughout Buffalo’s West Side,” said Assemblyman Sean Ryan. “This funding will enable HomeFront to continue their great work to create new affordable housing opportunities on the West Side, and reverse the blight that is far too prevalent. I will keep working to make sure New York State continues to fund critical housing programs like these, which are providing funding to improve our neighborhoods, and more importantly, improve people’s lives.”

HomeFront Executive Director John Murphy said, “These new funds from New York State will supplement other funds already raised by our agency to create ownership opportunities for five more families seeking to purchase homes on Buffalo’s West Side. Our completely rehabilitated houses will be affordable to income-eligible buyers with net mortgages in the $60,000 range. Anyone interested in purchasing a completed house, or in enrolling in HomeFront homeownership and down payment assistance programs in Buffalo or anywhere in Western New York, should contact the agency at 852-3130 for more information.”

Mr. Damon is a Site Facilitator with Say Yes Buffalo, a program that works to provide families with the resources to help their children be successful in school, including working with the school administration on overall student attendance and in-school behaviors.

The $175,000 NYS AHC grant award supplements a $300,000 NYS HOME program award to HomeFront in the previous funding round. HomeFront has already completed renovations on eight formerly vacant or foreclosed homes in the 19th Street neighborhood and re-sold them to first-time homebuyers. This new state funding will help them do the same for five more vacant homes.

For more information on HomeFront, Inc. or about homeownership opportunities in the City of Buffalo, visit http://www.homefrontbflo.org/ or call 852-3130.  

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Senator Timothy M. Kennedy represents the New York State Senate’s 63rd District, which is comprised of the Town of Cheektowaga, the City of Lackawanna and most of the City of Buffalo. More information is available at http://kennedy.nysenate.gov.