Mayor Malik Evans and community leaders provided an update on Aug. 7 on how the city is making significant strides in their effort’s to improve housing quality, increase access to homeownership and hold rental property owners accountable for how they run their business.
One of the city’s efforts include the launch of the new pilot program Rehabilitate the Dream. The program helps residents become homeowners by turning vacant properties into fully renovated, owner-occupied homes.
The program also offers favorable acquisition and rehab mortgages, construction management support and financial subsidies to qualified buyers who agree to live in the home for at least 15 years.
Rochester needs ‘safe, stable, and high quality housing’
In addition to the pilot program, the city is making progress on housing quality by providing new data on housing development and improvements in housing code enforcement.
“Our goal is to cater to people whatever choice that they make and give them support in whatever avenue they decide to live and we want to make sure we are creating opportunities,” Evans said. “Our vision is simple, every Rochesterian deserves access to safe, stable, and high quality housing.”
Since launching the Housing Quality Task Force in 2022, an intitative focused on improving housing standards, the city has supported the development of more than 3,000 affordable housing units, 850 market-rate rental units and 450,000 square feet of mixed-use commercial space.
Uptick in enforcement
The city also reported major improvements in the enforcement of housing standards which include:
Homes available through the Rehabilitate the Dream program can be viewed and applied for at https://www.cityofrochester.gov/departments/rochester-land-bank-corporation/rochester-land-bank-corporation.
— Kerria Weaver works as the Government and You reporter for the Democrat and Chronicle, with a focus on how government actions affect communities and neighborhoods in Rochester and in Monroe County.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Rochester launches new program to turn vacant houses into homes
Reporting by Kerria Weaver, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
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