Homes and Community Renewal Access to Homes for Heroes/Veterans Callout Map

HTFC Access to Home for Heroes/Veterans Program Interactive Maps (2025-S-10)

Objective

To determine whether Homes and Community Renewal and Local Program Administrators properly administer the New York Access to Home for Heroes/Veterans Program in accordance with program requirements. The audit covered the period from April 2022 through December 2025.

About the Program

New York State Homes and Community Renewal (HCR) is the State’s affordable housing agency, with a mission to develop, preserve, and protect affordable housing and increase homeownership throughout New York State. HCR comprises several of New York State’s major housing and community renewal agencies and authorities, including the Housing Trust Fund Corporation (HTFC). HTFC’s Office of Community Renewal (OCR) provides funding to local governments and not-for-profits to administer several housing programs, including the Access to Home for Heroes/Veterans Program (Program). The Program provides financial assistance to make accessibility modifications and emergency home repairs or address code violations to the primary residences (residential units) of low- and moderate-income veterans with disabilities.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, disabled veterans account for approximately 29% of the State’s 607,000 veterans. According to Article 30 of the New York State Private Housing Finance Law (Law), many veterans face significant impediments to accessible and affordable housing because of service-related injuries, age, or health-related disabilities. Passed in 2018, the Law formally established the Program to assist disabled veterans with home repairs to ensure they can live comfortably and safely in their homes.

Every fiscal year (April 1–March 31), OCR releases a request for applications (RFA) for Program funding. Interested units of local government and non-profit organizations are eligible to apply for funding. Awarded recipients, also referred to as Local Program Administrators (LPAs), enter into a 2-year contract with HTFC and are responsible for administering the Program in a specified service area (typically a county).

Awarded LPAs receive funds from OCR on a reimbursement basis for project costs incurred. Although the Law does not limit the amount of funding for individual units, according to the RFA, costs for each residential unit assisted under the contract cannot exceed $25,000. For the 3 fiscal years ended March 31, 2024, HTFC awarded 15 contracts totaling $3.3 million to 12 LPAs; however, only $1.2 million (36%) had been spent as of October 2025.

OCR Program Managers are required to monitor LPAs by conducting first project file reviews (OCR’s comprehensive review of the first project of each contract) and to monitor contract performance and timeliness to ensure that funds are expended in a timely manner and in accordance with applicable laws, rules, and regulations. In addition, Program progress should be monitored by OCR’s staff conducting site and desk reviews. Further, OCR Program Managers must ensure LPAs maintain complete project files, comply with bidding requirements, and implement a conflict-of-interest policy. Finally, OCR should promote the Program to potential applicants throughout the State and ensure that LPAs implement marketing strategies that ensure a wide population of disabled veterans are aware of the available funding opportunities.

Key Findings

HCR did not effectively monitor LPAs’ performance under the Program contracts or establish sound marketing practices to ensure that Program funds were provided to a wide population of disabled veterans and in a timely manner.  Specifically, we found that:

• OCR does not adequately monitor LPAs to ensure they comply with Program requirements, such as maintaining complete project files, including support for eligibility, adhering to established milestones, submitting first file records correctly or on time, using funds within contract terms (time limit), or adhering to project funding limits. We reviewed a sample of 10 contracts at a sample of seven LPAs and found:
  • For eight of the 10 (80%) contracts, all seven sampled LPAs missed at least one key contract milestone, resulting in veterans being unable to obtain timely assistance from the Program.
  • For two of the 10 (20%) contracts, no first file review was submitted despite being 10 months into their contract, resulting in veterans not being served timely.
  • For seven of the 10 (70%) contracts, the first file reviews were either missing records or contained incorrect information, resulting in potential improper use of Program funds.
• LPAs do not comply with Program requirements related to bidding practices and conflicts of interest.
  • For three of the 10 (30%) contracts, we identified questionable bidding practices, such as an LPA’s disclosure of one bidder’s estimate to another, which can result in the selection of unqualified contractors, inflated costs, or unsupported payments.
  • For two of the 10 (20%) contracts, LPAs did not comply with the conflict-of-interest requirements, which can result in the inappropriate selection of contractors. For example, one LPA contracted with a relative without approval from OCR.
• Neither OCR nor LPAs adequately market the Program, resulting in less awareness of the Program and its opportunities. For example:
  • Of the nine LPAs that stated they would advertise the Program on their websites and social media platforms, only two (22%) have done so.
  • For our scope period, only 14 applicants proposing to serve 28 counties applied for funding, and only 12 LPAs proposing to serve 22 counties received Program funding.
  • As of October 2025, 10 months into the contract term, only nine of the 12 awarded LPAs have started projects to serve disabled veterans in 15 of New York’s 62 counties.

Key Recommendations

• Improve monitoring of LPAs throughout the term of the contracts, including:
  • Increasing frequency and quality of site visits to and desk reviews of LPAs to provide needed assistance and to ensure awarded funds are used promptly to assist disabled veterans.
  • Regularly reviewing project files to ensure compliance with Program requirements, including those related to participant eligibility, contractor procurement, and conflicts of interest.
  • Adequately reviewing each LPA’s marketing and outreach efforts and ensuring LPAs adhere to their marketing plans, as well as working with LPAs to identify effective marketing and outreach strategies and opportunities.
• Develop and implement effective marketing and outreach strategies, including conducting research and analysis to identify areas with a high concentration of disabled veterans and targeting outreach to municipality officials and veteran groups, to promote the Program.