Emergency Assistance for New York Homeowners Impacted by Hurricane Debby

In the wake of Hurricane Debby, Governor Kathy Hochul announced a comprehensive emergency assistance program to support homeowners in Allegany, Delaware, Franklin, Steuben and St. Lawrence counties. This initiative, spearheaded by New York Homes and Community Renewal (HCR), aims to provide critical repairs and financial support to those affected by the storm.

What is the Resilient and Ready Home Repair Program?

The Resilient and Ready Home Repair Program seeks to offer emergency home repair assistance and/or reimbursement to impacted homeowners for whom home and/or flood insurance coverage is not sufficient to return the home to safe and habitable condition.

Following damage caused by Tropical Storm Debby on August 9, 2024, HCR’s Housing Trust Fund Corporation (HTCF) is offering grants of up to $50,000 to eligible homeowners for health and safety-related repairs not covered by insurance or other disaster relief programs.

Who is eligible?

To qualify, applicants must:

• Reside within the New York counties of Allegany, Delaware, Franklin, Steuben or St. Lawrence (Note: As damage assessments continue, homeowners in additional counties may also become eligible for this assistance)
• Occupy the home as their primary residence
• Have a total household income not exceeding 100% of the county area median income

How to apply

The program will be administered by local partners* who will work directly with affected homeowners and assist them with insurance claims, the repair and reconstruction process, and reimbursement requests.

Eligible homeowners interested in applying may inquire here.

*Please note, Farm Credit East is not one of the local partners working with affected homeowners, so please use the link above to inquire with the NYS Homes & Community Renewal for more information.

Additional Resources

In addition to repair grants, staff from the New York State Department of Financial Services will be deployed to impacted communities and extend their disaster hotline hours to assist residents and business owners with insurance-related questions. Impacted residents and businesses can call 800-339-1759 for assistance.