Governor Paterson Launches Statewide Campaign to Assist Vulnerable New Yorkers with Rising Heating Costs

HeatSmartNY, New Statewide Public Education Outreach Campaign, will Include Website, Hotline, Workshops and Public Service Announcements

$104,800 Available to Tompkins Community Action to Fund Energy Efficiency Improvements for Homes

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Governor David A. Paterson today launched a new statewide, multi-agency public information education campaign. Called HeatSmartNY, the campaign will provide New Yorkers facing skyrocketing home heating costs with the tools and assistance they need to get through this coming winter. Eight New York State agencies and authorities have collaborated to address this vital issue and bring relief to New York's most at-risk residents.

At Lifelong Senior Center in Ithaca, Tompkins County, Governor Paterson was joined by Congressman Maurice Hinchey, State Senator George Winner and Assemblywoman Barbara Lifton in unveiling the new campaign, which will include a website (www.HeatSmartNY.org), a hotline number (877-NY-SMART), public service announcements and a series of 630 statewide workshops to provide consumers with easy, do-it-yourself tips to lower heating bills, as well as information about New York's heating-related programs.

"While we remain focused on reducing spending to address the economic downturn, we must at the same time be mindful that for many New York families, this is going to be an especially harsh and difficult winter," said Governor Paterson. "New Yorkers should not be endangered by falling temperatures and rising heating costs. That is why I have directed these agencies to implement collaborative and coordinated outreach and ensure that New Yorkers have as much information as possible about heating-related programs and ways to reduce home heating costs."

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Take Another Look in Cortland

Cortland Crown Homes represent the new generation of affordable housing, which is attractive,
fits in to the surrounding community and is indiscernible from market-rate housing.

A beautiful new affordable housing development has opened in the City of Cortland as part of a major revitalization of the City's South Main Street Corridor. Housing Visions Consultants, Inc. began the project by acquiring 10 buildings for the development of 30 safe and affordable housing units for low and moderate income families. The organization substantially rehabilitated five buildings, demolished five buildings, and constructed three new buildings.

Dan Buyer, director of DHCR's Syracuse Regional Office, helped mark the opening of Cortland Crown Homes, and was joined by State Senator James Seward, Cortland Mayor Tom Gallagher, City Alderman Daniel Quail, Linda Dickerson Hartsock, CNY Regional Director of the Empire State Development Corp (ESDC) and Gisela Pacheco of Key Community Development Corporation.

Buyer acknowledged and thanked DHCR's partners in the effort, including Housing Visions, Key Bank, the Cortland Business Development Corporation and Industrial Development Agency (BDC-IDA), Thoma Development Consultants, the Cortland Housing Assistance Council, the City and County of Cortland, Key Community and Development Corporation (KCDC), KeyBank National Association and architects Alestalo & Etzel.

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New Senior Housing and Supportive Housing Opens in Ithaca

Senator George Winner, Assemblywoman Barbara Lifton, John Spence, executive director of Better Housing for
Tompkins County and Commissioner VanAmerongen cut the ribbon at Conifer Village senior housing.

Commissioner VanAmerongen joined state and local officials in Ithaca to celebrate the opening of an affordable senior housing complex and a beautiful new supportive housing facility. While in Ithaca, she also toured public housing which is undergoing extensive energy efficiency improvements through DHCR's Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP).

The Commissioner was joined by a number of officials, including Assemblywoman Barbara Lifton, State Senator George Winner, Office of Mental Health (OMH) Commissioner Michael Hogan, Ithaca Mayor Carolyn Peterson and Ithaca Town Supervisor Herb Engman, as well as many other officials from Tompkins County and the Town and City of Ithaca.

The trip also provided an opportunity to meet with many of DHCR's partners, including Lee Dillon, executive director of Tompkins Community Action (TCA), Brenda Westfall, executive director of the Ithaca Housing Authority, Timothy Fournier, president and CEO of Conifer, John Spence, executive director of Better Housing for Tompkins County, Thomas J. Whitney, executive director of Southern Tier Environments for Living, Inc. (STEL) and Mark Wickham, executive director of Lakeview Mental Health Services.

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