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Cheektowaga holds public hearing on HUD annual plan as officials outline rehab, public‑service spending
Summary
Town staff presented the draft FY2026 HUD annual plan outlining $809,000 in recent housing rehabilitation spending and multiple public‑service programs; officials noted a wait list of about 200 households and said the town applied for a $650,000 state grant to expand rehab capacity.
The Town of Cheektowaga opened a public hearing to review its fiscal year 2026 annual plan for U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development entitlement funds, with Community Development staff describing how the town proposes to use Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and HOME Investment Partnership Program dollars.
Rachel Straker, the town’s community development representative, said prior-year activity included $153,395 in CDBG funds, $493,000 in HOME funds and $163,000 from the New York State Affordable Housing Corporation used on 24 single- and multi-family rehabilitation projects — a total of $809,000. She said those activities produced program income that is recycled into further projects.
Straker outlined program limits set by HUD: administration costs generally capped at 20% of the annual grant plus 20% of prior-year program income, and public‑service activities capped at 15% of the annual allocation. She described supportive partnerships with BENLIC to acquire and rehabilitate vacant properties for income‑eligible first‑time homebuyers, weatherization delivered to 46 units through Supportive Services Corporation, and public‑service funding for a domestic‑violence advocate housed in the Cheektowaga Police Department.
Council members pressed for specifics about eligibility and geography. Straker said HUD’s low‑ and moderate‑income maps were updated in October and that some neighborhoods were dropped while others — including Fireman’s Park and parts of Depew west of Transit Road — returned to eligibility. She said the town has a wait list “now of over 200 people” seeking rehab assistance and that those program constraints, together with more expensive repairs (sewer or foundation work), slow throughput.
“Our rehabilitation list has a lot of larger jobs that take more time and money,” Straker said. “We also applied for a $650,000 New York State grant to help with rehab funding; in prior rounds we received $450,000.”
Straker said residents and subrecipients will have the chance to review a draft annual action plan when it is published on the town website, in libraries and at clerk’s offices; the fiscal program year for the allocation runs from April 1, 2026, through March 31, 2027. The board closed the hearing after no members of the public offered comment and directed staff to incorporate hearing input into the draft for the required 30‑day public comment period.
The town will publish the draft action plan for public review before it submits the final plan to HUD.
