Legal Services NYC Applauds Governor Hochul for Including Funding for Statewide Homeownership Preservation Program in 2027 Executive Budget

New York, NY – Legal Services NYC applauds Governor Hochul’s inclusion of $40 million in the proposed FY27 executive budget to fund the Homeowner Protection Program (HOPP), the state’s strongest tool to fight deed thefts, mortgage fraud and others scams and keep struggling New York homeowners in their homes.

Below is a statement from Jacob Inwald, Director of Litigation–Economic Justice at Legal Services NYC, a technical assistance sub-contractor to the Attorney General’s Anchor Partner which administers  the HOPP program in NYC.

“We are grateful to Governor Hochul for her early inclusion of HOPP funding in the proposed budget and to our legislative champions who have long supported this vital program.

“For more than a decade, HOPP has been the strongest line of defense for tens of thousands of New York homeowners—particularly Black and brown families, seniors, and low-income households—who are disproportionately targeted by predatory lenders and scammers seeking to strip families of their homes, equity, and generational wealth. HOPP advocates preserve homeownership by guiding homeowners through the complex foreclosure process, asserting legal defenses, and combating abusive mortgage servicing and widespread scams, including deed theft, fraudulent loan modifications, and partition schemes. By leveling the playing field through loan modification assistance and representation in New York’s groundbreaking mandatory foreclosure settlement conferences, HOPP has repeatedly kept families in their homes, protected billions in property value, and delivered millions in tax and property cost savings to localities statewide.

“Governor Hochul and the Legislature now have a critical opportunity to provide lasting stability for New York homeowners by permanently codifying this program alongside the state’s other homeowner protections in the final budget. As housing costs rise and homeowners in gentrifying neighborhoods continue to be targeted by scammers, and as families face growing threats from spiraling property taxes and municipal tax lien foreclosures, the need for HOPP’s services continues to grow. A permanent investment would ensure that New Yorkers can rely on this essential program and that providers can better plan and prepare their services.”

About the Homeowner Protection Program (HOPP)

The Homeowner Protection Program (HOPP) was established in 2012 to maintain legal services and housing counseling to at-risk New York homeowners. Originally funded by the state’s bank settlement funds obtained by the Attorney General, the Homeowner Protection Program (HOPP) is comprised of approximately 90 non-profit housing counseling and legal service providers across the state and helps struggling homeowners keep their homes by fighting deed theft and mortgage fraud scams, helping homeowners apply for grants and loan modifications and resolve tax liens, representing homeowners in court and finding alternative housing when they can no longer stay in their homes.