Applications Now Open for Lake Ontario Homeowner Recovery Program for Secondary Homes

November 6, 2019 - Then-Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced the application period for the 2019 Lake Ontario-St. Lawrence River Flood Relief and Recovery Program is now open to qualifying secondary homeowners directly impacted by historic Lake Ontario flooding from Jan. 1, 2019 to Sept. 30, 2019. The 2019 Flood Relief and Recovery Program will allocate up to $8 million to assist qualifying secondary homeowners and is administered through New York State Homes and Community Renewal.

Residents with second homes in Cayuga, Jefferson, Monroe, Niagara, Orleans, Oswego, St. Lawrence and Wayne counties are now eligible to apply to receive up to $50,000 in state funding to help offset damages to their residences. Applications for second homes will be accepted from Nov. 6 through Dec. 10.

"The aftermath of historic flooding along the shores of Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River has had a disastrous impact, and we are fortunate to have the resources available to aid repairs on both primary and secondary residencies," then-Governor Cuomo said. "As we embark on regionally-significant rebuilding and resiliency projects across the region, it is equally important that New York provide financial assistance to help homeowners in these communities with their recovery efforts."

Application criteria for homeowners includes:

Homeowners who were impacted by flooding Jan. 1, 2019 through Sept. 30, 2019.
Second homeowner applications will be accepted from Nov. 6, 2019 through Dec. 10, 2019.
Second homeowners with a qualified gross income of less than $275,000 may apply. However, priority will be given to those with a qualified gross income of $175,000 or less.
Funding to address damages to secondary homes will be considered following fulfillment of primary residence applications, which will be given priority. Primary homeowners must have applied by the Oct. 31, 2019 deadline.

Applications, including the full list of eligibility criteria, are available on the New York State Homes and Community Renewal website.

The funding complements then-Governor Cuomo's creation of REDI, which includes a multi-agency commission that has been studying ways to strengthen infrastructure along Lake Ontario's waterfront while bolstering the region's local economies. Through REDI, the State has committed up to $300 million to rebuild the shoreline, as well as improve resiliency in flood prone regions along Lake Ontario.