BUILDING BUFFALO’S FUTURE

Soaring housing costs are a major problem in Buffalo and throughout Western New York, and we need local leaders to find creative solutions that address the root causes of the problem. In the State Senate, Sean has already secured over $80 million in state funding to implement his comprehensive housing plan for Buffalo, and he remains focused on making housing more affordable for homeowners and renters alike.

Insufficient housing inventory in Buffalo has led to inflated home prices. A years-long housing crisis has been draining bank accounts and keeping people who have spent years saving up to buy a house locked out of the market.

In January 2024, Sean introduced a plan to end Buffalo’s affordable housing crisis. The City of Good Neighborhoods: A Housing Vision Built for Buffalo is a comprehensive, community-focused plan to create more affordable, high-quality housing in Buffalo.

Sean’s housing plan has four components that will combine to increase the number of affordable, well-maintained houses and apartments in the city:

An infill housing program that will build 2,000 affordable one- and two-family homes in Buffalo over five years
A grant program to help small landlords make major improvements to dilapidated rental units in exchange for a commitment to renting the units at an affordable rate
A plan to remove unnecessary barriers that currently keep renters facing unexpected hardships from accessing eviction prevention funds
A plan to make old houses safer and more affordable by improving their insulation

State Funding to Make Sean's Vision a Reality

In April, just months after first introducing The City of Good Neighborhoods, Sean was able to secure $80 million in state funding to implement the first two parts of his plan:

$40 million to create an infill housing pilot program
$40 million to create a rental improvement grant pilot program

He was also instrumental in getting another $10 million included in the state budget to improve access to emergency eviction prevention funds.

In June, the plan reached another milestone as the State Senate unanimously passed Sean’s bill to task utility companies statewide with enhancing insulation in thousands of houses across the state.

In the State Senate, Sean will continue to prioritize local housing affordability by:

Creating dedicated housing policies for Buffalo and other upstate cities, separate from plans designed to address New York City’s very different housing challenges
Working with State agencies to ensure the housing programs he has created achieve their potential
Getting his insulation plan for old houses signed into law
Advocating for Western New York’s unique needs every year during budget season