Jan. 4—TICONDEROGA — North County communities will benefit from $7.7 million in state homeowner assistance grants recently presented.

The grants will help low and moderate-income families make repairs or safety upgrades to their homes, replace mobile and manufactured homes, and provide down-payment assistance for first-time buyers, the Governor’s Office said.

The Housing Assistance Program of Essex County got $255,563 for accessibility modifications; Essex County got $1.2 million for manufactured home replacement; Pride of Ticonderoga received $1.5 million for manufactured home replacement and $200,000 for emergency repairs for low-income homeowners; RPC of Clinton County got $$250,000 for accessibility modifications and $150,000 for emergency repairs for low-income homeowners; the Town of Ausable, Clinton County, got $250,000 for owner-occupied housing rehabilitation; and the Town of Moriah, Essex County, was awarded $262,195 for standalone residential water and wastewater activities like laterals.

Governor Kathy Hochul said that more than 1,000 households will benefit from the grant awards to support affordable homeownership.

“As housing costs continue to rise, this significant investment will help carve out a path to affordable homeownership for 1,400 New York families,” Hochul said in a news release.

“My administration is using every tool at our disposal to address the state’s housing crisis, and we will continue to push forward on programs, strategies, and funding initiatives that put New Yorkers in safe, affordable homes.”

The grants administered by New York State Homes and Community Renewal’s Office of Community Renewal were awarded to nonprofit organizations and localities to help preserve affordable housing, support veterans and older New Yorkers, increase access to homeownership, and strengthen local economies, Hochul said

The awards are made through state and federally funded programs and each program accepts applications in an annual competitive funding round.

The awards are part of Hochul’s $25 billion comprehensive Housing Plan to create or preserve 100,000 affordable homes, including 10,000 with support services for vulnerable populations plus the electrification of an additional 50,000 homes.