HUDSON — The city has received grant funding and technical assistance to address community displacement triggers such as gentrification and lack of affordable housing, officials announced Thursday.
Hudson is one of 10 communities across the state to receive a New York State Anti-Displacement Learning Network grant from Enterprise Community Partners in conjunction with the state Attorney General’s Office. The grant will help city officials prevent displacement of low-income communities through peer advice and possible funding for specific strategies.
The city adopted a resolution on Oct. 29, 2019 to submit the application to Enterprise Community Partners at the request of 1st Ward Alderwoman Rebecca Wolff before she was named Common Council minority leader.
“Hudson’s low- and middle-income residents are being displaced in the current the application to Enterprise Community Partners at the request of 1st Ward Alderwoman Rebecca Wolff before she was named Common Council minority leader.
“Hudson’s low- and middle-income residents are being displaced in the current inflated housing market,” Wolff said. “This is a crisis of community that is negatively affecting the character and health of our city. The anti-displacement grant comes with a mandate to bring together elected officials, agencies and impacted residents to identify and implement meaningful solutions to address the crisis.”
The goal of the grant is to target displacement caused by a variety of triggers, ranging from gentrification to limited supply of quality rental housing and tax foreclosures and can be exacerbated by local code enforcement and housing policies, according to the grant application.
“Displacement, according to the application, disproportionately harms low-income communities, under-resourced, marginalized, and communities of color, but its impacts reverberate across local communities, causing lasting impacts on poverty and economic mobility and over community well-being,” according to the application.
The program consists of three phases, according to the Enterprise Community Partners’ website:
n Phase I: Municipal teams will learn about various strategies to address displacement through webinars and peer-to-peer discussions.
n Phase II: Each municipal team will receive up to 20 hours of technical assistance from Enterprise’s consultant team to select an anti-displacement strategy and develop a plan to implement the chosen strategy. During this phase, each team may submit a funding request of up to $1 million to Enterprise to implement the chosen strategy.
n Phase III: Municipal teams that have been awarded implementation funding will execute their chosen strategies.
The program would be completed by Dec. 31, 2021. Enterprise will provide technical assistance and peer-to-peer learning on anti-displacement strategies for Hudson. Each participant will join a peer learning exchange by phone or in person on a biweekly basis for a period of three months.
The first two phases include a stipend of up to $25,000 per project team to “support community stakeholders’ time participating in the process,” according to the application.
Wolff led the Hudson grant application, with assistance from 3rd Ward County Supervisor and Mayoral Aide Michael Chameides. Dan Kent from the Galvan Foundation provided technical support. The Anti-Displacement Project team also includes 3rd Ward Alderman Calvin Lewis, service provider Serria McGriff and Mayor Kamal Johnson.
“Several community organizations contributed to the application and expressed interest in collaborating on the project,” according to a statement from the city.
“This grant is an important step in addressing our housing crisis,” Johnson said in a statement Thursday. “I look forward to partnering with community leaders from Hudson and around New York State to create solutions.” To reach reporter Amanda Purcell, call 518-828-1616 ext. 2500, or send an email to apurcell@thedailymail.net, or tweet to @amandajpurcell.
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