{"id":217165,"date":"2026-05-01T22:19:39","date_gmt":"2026-05-01T22:19:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/217165\/"},"modified":"2026-05-01T22:19:39","modified_gmt":"2026-05-01T22:19:39","slug":"bronx-property-owners-and-workforce-push-back-against-state-weatherization-program-cuts-bronx-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/217165\/","title":{"rendered":"Bronx property owners and workforce push back against state weatherization program cuts \u2013 Bronx Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

The New York State Weatherization Assistance Program<\/a> (WAP), which helps low and moderate-income property owners pay for energy-efficient home improvements, is facing a major cut in the state budget, which advocates say puts homes and jobs at risk.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Currently, the program, which is federally funded and administered by NYS Homes and Community Renewal (HCR), covers costs for income-qualified property owners who want to make their building more environmentally friendly, safer, and, in many cases, cheaper to operate.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The program covers projects such as energy audits, refrigerator replacement, wall insulation, air sealing, insulation of hot water tanks and pipes, energy-efficient lighting, door and window replacement and more.\u00a0<\/p>\n

These types of improvements create local jobs and save households an average of at least 20%, according to the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance, which oversees WAP.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But the federal program from which it pulls its funding, the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), is facing a potential 10% cut \u2014which would amount to a 60% cut for WAP, according to advocates such as the nonprofit Our Bronx, formerly the Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe loss of HEAP funding to WAP will make our local operations unsustainable at our current level of operation,\u201d said Frances M. Fuselli, program director with Our Bronx, in a recent letter<\/a> to state lawmakers.<\/p>\n

\u201cCuts would not be temporary \u2014 they would dismantle an infrastructure that has taken decades to create.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

The proposed cuts could affect approximately 800 statewide workers, plus thousands more in training, and approximately 1,000 Bronx households, according to the Association for Energy Affordability<\/a> (AEA) in the South Bronx, a state-designated provider for WAP projects.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"The AEA training center in the South Bronx features different boiler systems to practice on, and various types of control panels that workers might see in NYC buildings. Photo by Emily Swanson<\/p>\n

In response to these concerns, Hochul\u2019s spokesperson told the Bronx Times that federal funding for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), in the same funding pool as WAP, has lagged behind increasing energy costs.<\/p>\n

Unless another solution is reached, the state must choose between paying for WAP and covering heating and cooling bills for low-income residents \u2014 which it considers a more immediate safety priority, she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cRepublicans in Washington failed to increase funding for LIHEAP to keep pace with rising energy costs, pushing federal responsibilities onto states,\u201d said Nicolette Simmonds, spokesperson for the governor, in a statement sent to the Bronx Times.<\/p>\n

\u201cGovernor Hochul has prioritized HEAP funds for those program components that serve households most in need, helping low and moderate-income households across the state pay their energy bills and stay safe in their homes during the summer and winter seasons. The Governor will continue to fight against these cuts from Washington to protect the programs that New Yorkers depend on.\u201d<\/p>\n

But Joseph Maggiore, executive director of the New York State Weatherization Directors Association, said in a statement to the Bronx Times that LIHEAP has bipartisan support and that its funding increased this year by $20 million. New York State is expected to receive about $400 million of the $4.045 billion program total, Maggiore said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe facts are clear: LIHEAP has support on both the federal and state levels. Yet despite that support, the Governor is still proposing cuts that would eliminate critical, lifesaving services for New York\u2019s most vulnerable residents,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Beyond the weatherization program itself, Hochul is speaking out against<\/a> the Trump administration\u2019s effort to entirely eliminate federal LIHEAP funding in the 2027 budget \u2014 affecting more than 1.4 New York households who rely on the program annually.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Governor will continue to fight against these cuts from Washington to protect the programs that New Yorkers depend on,\u201d Simmonds said.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

\u2018Neglected\u2019 old homes\u00a0<\/p>\n

In the Bronx, residents and green workforce leaders are pressuring Hochul to fully protect the weatherization program, with equity concerns at the forefront.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Since WAP was founded in 1977, it has helped weatherize more than 744,000 housing units<\/a> throughout the state, providing funds to property owners at up to 60% AMI, as well as those receiving public assistance such as SNAP.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Supporters argue that funding for HEAP and WAP is essential for keeping residents in their homes and dismanteling injustices that have disproportionately impacted people of color.<\/p>\n

Sheila Edwards, who has lived in the South Bronx for 70 years, owns a four-family property with rental tenants. Last year, she used funds from WAP and other sources to pay for major roof repairs, she said during an April 28 roundtable at the Association for Energy Affordability.<\/p>\n

\"\"A training class in progress at AEA with lesson on relative humidity. Photo by Emily Swanson<\/p>\n

Edwards\u2019 family story reveals the history of redlining in the South Bronx: her parents owned the house, but, as a Black family, originally had to put the property in the name of her father\u2019s white employer. Only decades later was she able to register the home in her own name, she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Today, Edwards said she struggles with the expense of maintaining the property \u2014 especially because tenants didn\u2019t pay rent \u201cfor years\u201d around the pandemic, she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWithout these programs [like WAP], we have nothing,\u201d Edwards said. \u201cThis program literally saves buildings.\u201d\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

In the South Bronx today, Edwards she said she worries about a \u201cdestructive cycle\u201d of new high rises being built alongside dilapidated homes that owners cannot afford to keep.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Amid all the change she has witnessed over years, \u201cThat which exists is being neglected.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

New tech for old homes
\n\"\"European-style windows, which open with a handle rather than pulling up, are much more effective at keeping drafts and sound out of noisy NYC homes, according to weatherization experts. Photo by Emily Swanson<\/p>\n

Francis Rodriguez, director of weatherization for the Association for Energy Affordability, led the Bronx Times on a tour of the training center with classrooms, equipment and control panels to practice on.<\/p>\n

Rodriguez said he\u2019s a perfect example of the career advancement possible in the industry, having worked his way up from a warehouse job into his current role, he said. \u201cIf we lose staff, we\u2019re losing years of experience that won\u2019t be easily replaced.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

The ever changing green jobs industry gives any Bronxite the opportunity to advance if they choose, he said.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

\u201cIf all you want to do is blow insulation, then fine. But we\u2019re going to teach you how to do it properly too,\u201d Rodriguez said.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

Throughout the center, he showcased some of the new technology being added to homes under the WAP program \u2014 the type of upgrades more associated with luxury high rises than old affordable buildings.<\/p>\n

Rodriguez demonstrated flat-top induction stoves that heat quickly; European-style windows that open easily and offer strong protection against sound and wind; and small radiators with adjustable controls to prevent overheating and that use less energy in the heating element than traditional ones.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In addition to cost savings, these kinds of improvements bring major quality of life benefits to families, Rodriguez said.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

But he fears cuts could leave the WAP program and community partners like him who train the workforce \u201ccompletely handicapped.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

Not going back \u00a0
\n\"\"Angela Davis-Farrish (right) with the nonprofit SEBCO said the funding cuts could push the Bronx back into the era of property abandonment that she grew up in. Photo by Emily Swanson<\/p>\n

During the roundtable, several longtime Bronxites expressed concern over the potential loss of workers and the lifechanging home upgrades they provide.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Alexis Garcia, who said he grew up poor in NYCHA housing with \u201coverheating, broken windows and broken boilers,\u201d worked his way through various trainings to become the energy auditor for AEA.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s definitely somewhere where you can have a career and also give back to your community, he said. \u201cWith the money that WAP is providing, it helps a lot of people in this industry to move up and ahead.\u201d<\/p>\n

Angela Davis-Farrish, executive director of the nonprofit SEBCO<\/a>, said she was born into a cramped apartment with inconsistent heat and hot water during the \u201cBronx is burning\u201d era, when many landlords set fire to their buildings rather than to pay to repair them.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI remember those days vividly, and we don\u2019t want to repeat that history,\u201d she said.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

Davis-Farrish said her organization has partnered with the AEA center to work on more than 2,500 housing units in 15 years, with projects ranging from heat pump replacements to full-building electric conversions in Hunts Point.\u00a0<\/p>\n

She said residents and the governor must push back against the proposed funding cut in order to protect jobs and give owners the capital they need to keep their homes.<\/p>\n

Having lived through the era of large scale property abandonment in the Bronx, \u201cWe cannot go back,\u201d Davis-Farrish said.\n<\/p>\n

Reach Emily Swanson at\u00a0eswanson@schnepsmedia.com<\/a>\u00a0or\u00a0(646) 717-0015<\/a>. For more coverage, subscribe to our\u00a0newsletter<\/a>\u00a0and follow us on\u00a0Twitter<\/a>,\u00a0Facebook<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Instagram<\/a>!<\/p>\n