Senator Sean Ryan: Applications Now Open For Vacant Rental Renovation Funds In Buffalo

BUFFALO – Today, February 7, 2025, New York State Senator Sean Ryan announced that landlords with uninhabitable rental units in Buffalo can now apply for grants to fund renovations through a new state program designed to create more high-quality, affordable housing throughout Upstate New York. 

The Vacant Rental Program (VRP) offers small, local, and responsible landlords grants of $50,000 or $75,000 to renovate vacant units in exchange for a 10-year commitment to rent the units at affordable rates corresponding to each grant amount. More details are available at hcr.ny.gov/vrp.

Senator Ryan proposed the program as part of The City of Good Neighborhoods, his comprehensive plan to address the shortage of high-quality, affordable housing in Buffalo. He successfully pushed to get $40 million included in last year’s state budget to establish VRP as a pilot program, including more than $10.6 million in grants for Western New York.

Senator Sean Ryan said, “The Vacant Rental Program was created as a proof-of-concept pilot program, and we’ve already received an incredible amount of interest. We want to encourage every eligible landlord who wants to participate in the program to submit an application. The more demand we have for these grants, the easier it will be to make the case for expanding the program in this year’s budget and beyond.”

Landlords can apply for grants through not-for-profit organizations across Upstate New York. Five local organizations have been chosen to administer the grants in Western New York. The first two are now accepting online applications from owners of rental properties on Buffalo’s East Side:

• Broadway Fillmore Neighborhood Housing Services (Service Area: East Side of Buffalo) - $2,500,000 in grants
  • Application: 780fillmore.org/vacant-rental-improvement-program
• East Buffalo Development Corporation (Service Area: East Side of Buffalo) - $1,349,040 in grants
  • Application (Deadline: Feb. 28): eastbuffalodevelopment.org/residential-department

Application forms for the organizations covering the remainder of Erie and Niagara Counties will be posted at ryan.nysenate.gov and promoted on Senator Ryan’s social media accounts as they become available:

• Belmont Housing Resources for WNY, Inc. (Service Area: Erie and Niagara Counties) - $2,500,000 in grants
• City of Buffalo (Service Area: City of Buffalo) - $2,497,500 in grants
• Preservation Buffalo Niagara (Service Area: City of Niagara Falls) - $1,800,000 in grants

Public information sessions will be held in Buffalo next week for landlords and contractors interested in participating in the program or learning more before they apply:

For landlords

• What: Program administrators will be on hand to answer questions and help property owners fill out their applications.
• When: Saturday, Feb. 15 from 1 to 3 p.m.
• Where: Delavan-Grider Community Center (877 E. Delavan Ave., Buffalo, NY 14215)

For contractors

• What: Program administrators will provide information for contractors interested in joining the approved vendor list for VRP projects in Western New York.
• When: Wednesday, Feb. 12 at 5 p.m.
• Where: Belmont Housing Resources for WNY (2393 Main St., Buffalo, NY 14214) 

Contractors must RSVP by Feb. 11 to Keith Braun (kbraun@belmonthousingwny.org, 716-884-7791 x176) or Eric Schiffman (eschiffman@belmonthousingwny.org, 716-844-7791 x157).