The Peru Gazette

Only 36% of Funds to Help Fix and Make Homes Accessible Spent.                                       Interactive Map of the Population of Veterans with Disabilities and Funding by County

Albany, July 27, 2026 – An audit released today of the New York Access to Home for Heroes/Veterans Program found inadequate oversight and poor outreach delayed the distribution of funds for home and accessibility repairs for veterans with disabilities, according to New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli. Auditors determined that only 36% of the program’s $3.3 million in recent contract funding was spent, while some counties with the largest populations of disabled veterans were not aware of the program or did not apply for funding.

“Affordable, accessible housing remains out of reach for many of New York’s veterans,” DiNapoli said. “This program is supposed to deliver critical home repairs, but poor oversight and weak outreach left veterans waiting for help. Our recommendations will help the state fix this program and better assist the men and women who served our country.”

New York is home to around 173,000 disabled veterans. The Access to Home for Heroes/Veterans Program helps low- and moderate-income veterans with disabilities remain safely in their homes by providing financial assistance for emergency repairs, accessibility modifications or to fix code violations. The program is administered through the Office of Community Renewal (OCR) within New York State Homes and Community Renewal (HCR).

Each year OCR accepts applications from local governments and nonprofit organizations, known as Local Program Administrators (LPAs) to administer the program in specific regions or counties. LPAs receive funding on a reimbursement basis for project costs incurred, with individual projects generally capped at $25,000. During the audit period of April 2022 through December 2025, the audit found that only 14 LPAs applied for funding and 12 LPAs received funding.

Only Fraction of Program’s Money Spent
Of the $3.3 million awarded during this three-year audit period, only $1.2 million, or 36%, was spent as of October 2025. In total, 81 projects were completed in 15 of New York’s 62 counties. Since the program’s creation in 2015, only about 31% of the $19.6 million allocated to the program has been spent, averaging 33 projects annually statewide.

Oversight Shortfalls
Auditors found OCR did not effectively monitor contractor performance or adequately identify or conduct outreach to underserved regions with high disabled veteran populations. OCR relied too heavily on local providers to market the program without sufficient oversight. The audit also identified repeated failures by LPAs to meet project milestones, follow competitive bidding rules and comply with conflict-of-interest requirements.

Among major findings:

• Seven LPAs missed at least one major contract milestone 80% of the time, delaying assistance to veterans when auditors reviewed 10 contracts. Two LPAs missed a key milestone by almost three years.
• Two of 10 contracts failed to submit required initial project reviews despite being 10 months into the contract term.
• Seven of the 10 reviewed contracts contained incomplete or inaccurate records, raising concerns about improper use of funds.
• Auditors identified questionable bidding practices in multiple contracts, including sharing the bid of one contractor with another.
• Some LPAs failed to comply with conflict-of-interest requirements (2 of 10 contracts), including one instance in which an administrator hired a relative.
• Outreach and marketing efforts were far from adequate, with only two of nine LPAs advertising the program in accordance with their marketing plan.

Auditors found that OCR monitoring activities were limited to the beginning and end of contracts, with little review during execution. Although OCR officials contacted LPAs about missed milestones, this monitoring was ineffective, as the same LPAs continued missing milestones. In some cases, veterans experienced significant delays in having repairs made.

The audit also found problems with outreach and public awareness. Auditors identified 35 counties with large populations of disabled veterans, yet 19 of those counties had no program applicants at all. Officials from some municipalities with high veteran populations reported they had never heard of the program. DiNapoli’s audit includes an interactive map showing the population of veterans with disabilities and funding by county.

Although OCR requires LPAs to submit marketing plans and supporting outreach through websites, social media, community events, and advertising, auditors found most organizations did not follow through. Of nine LPAs that pledged to advertise the program online, only two had done so.

To address these issues, auditors recommend HCR:

• Strengthen oversight and monitoring of Local Program Administrators;
  Increase site visits and desk reviews;
• Ensure compliance with eligibility, procurement, and conflict-of-interest requirements;
  Improve statewide marketing and outreach strategies targeting veterans and local officials; and
• Identify underserved areas with high concentrations of disabled veterans to expand awareness and participation.

In response to the audit, HCR officials generally agreed with some of the audit’s recommendations. The full response is in the audit.###

Audit
Housing Trust Fund Corporation – Oversight of the Access to Homes for Heroes/Veterans Program

Map
Interactive Map of the Population of Veterans with Disabilities and Funding by County