WORLD WORLDWIDE USA New York NY New York City NYC News Journal Update - Housing grant pause surprises buyers, Hochul reports progress adding psych beds, Adams says resurfaced story from his old book is news to him

 

Dear New Yorkers,

Clare Fogerty thought this was the year she could get out of supportive housing and into her own place with a grant toward a down payment from a city-run home-buyer program.

She began participating in the HomeFirst Down Payment Assistance Program through the Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) at the start of 2023, taking an education course and connecting with a counselor.

In September, she received pre-approval for a grant and got the go-ahead to look for a place to buy. Her offer on a one-bedroom apartment in an affordable HDFC co-op in Harlem was accepted in November. She received the contract on Dec. 12.

But just before the new year, her mortgage broker told her that HPD had paused the program weeks earlier.

Fogerty said she wasn’t notified about the pause by the agency or her counselor — though emails show that she kept her counselor up-to-date through the buying process.

Now, her purchase is in jeopardy if she can’t use the $31,000 grant she was supposed to receive for the closing costs. She could also lose thousands that she put into escrow if the deal falls through.

“This is my one chance to get out and make a better life for myself,” said Fogerty, who is 41 years old and lives with physical and mental challenges. “And for people like me to get it taken away, it's the worst-case scenario.”

Read more about Fogerty’s plight and the HomeFirst program pause here.

Weather scoop by New York Metro Weather Tuesday's Weather Rating: 1/10. Good grief. Heavy rain develops this afternoon and periods of torrential rain are expected through tonight. Urban, small stream and river flooding is likely and strong winds are also expected. The vibes have once again floated away.

Our Other Top Stories

Gov. Kathy Hochul is reporting progress toward her promise to restore hundreds of psychiatric beds after hospitals redeployed them to other patients during the COVID pandemic. In her State of the State last January, Hochul vowed to add 850 beds to public and private hospitals. The need is dire: Between 2014 to 2022, the state lost 1,849 psychiatric beds, according to the state’s Office of Mental Health. Now, a Hochul spokesperson reports that 629 of those redeployed beds, about half of them in New York City, are again being used as psychiatric beds. The governor has also created 150 new state-operated psychiatric beds this year, 100 of which are in NYC. With his approval rating below 30%, Mayor Eric Adams has been trading personal barbs with the public advocate while his administration refuses to implement a law passed by the City Council. On the latest episode of the FAQ NYC podcast, co-host Christina Greer considers whether or not there’s a method to his madness. Listen here.

Reporter’s Notebook

Adams Blames Ghostwriter for His Story About Firing a Gun as a Child

Mayor Eric Adams wants to pull a book off the shelves — his own.

“Don’t Let It Happen,” written by Adams, was published in 2009 as a guide for parents who want to protect their kids from drugs, gangs, and other dangerous behavior. It was written about last week by the online publication Byline, which highlighted an anecdote where Adams said he mistakenly fired a gun at a group of friends as a child, missing them only “by the grace of God and my poor aim.”

Asked about that story at a press briefing Monday, the mayor first said he didn't know about it. Then, after the passage was read to him, Adams said a co-author had the information wrong, and that the book should have never been published because of that co-author’s mistakes.

“Don’t Let It Happen,” which begins with the affirmation “all of the incidents in this book are true,” is available on Amazon, where THE CITY purchased a copy last week. It does not credit a co-author.

A City Hall official explained that the mayor had never before seen the story shared with him on Monday, which had been written in his name by a ghostwriter who incorrectly represented what Adams had told him. Adams didn’t make any money on the book, either, the official added — and now he never will.

“The mayor has already contacted the publisher, who is working to take the book out of circulation,” spokesman Charles Lutvak told THE CITY.

— Katie Honan

Things To Do

Here’s what’s going on around the city this week.

Thursday, Jan. 11: New York on Film: “Do the Right Thing,” a 35th anniversary screening of the classic Spike Lee film with an introduction by film scholar Racquel Gates. Tickets are $20 ($15 for members). The event starts at 6:30 p.m. at the Museum of the City of New York. Friday, Jan. 12: The first day of expanded Free Fridays at the Whitney Museum, which is now open for free admission from 5 to 10 p.m. every Friday. Saturday, Jan. 13: Birding with NYC Audubon. Free (RSVP encouraged) from 10 to 11:30 a.m., at both Prospect Park in Brooklyn and at Brookville Park in Queens.

THE KICKER: Demolition is now complete at Middle Collegiate Church in the East Village, reports EV Grieve. The historic church, which was more than a century old, is being rebuilt after a six-alarm fire in Dec. 2020.

Thanks, as always, for reading. Make it a great Tuesday.

Love,

THE CITY

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