$225 million to fix the pipes first — so New York towns can finally build the homes they need

In town after town across New York, the homes people need can't be built because the water pipes, sewers and storm drains underneath are too old or too small. The state has now launched a $225 million Clean Water for Housing program to fix exactly that bottleneck. Of the money, $175 million is open to projects statewide and $50 million is set aside for rural communities, where ageing systems often block new homes hardest. More than 460 towns and villages already certified as Pro-Housing Communities — places that have committed to making room for more homes — can apply, with grants awarded first-come, first-served for shovel-ready drinking-water, sewer and stormwater projects. It sits inside a much larger push: $500 million in water grants announced this week as the first instalment of a $3.75 billion water plan, alongside a housing drive that has already created or preserved more than 87,000 affordable homes.

SDG 6 · Clean water and sanitation — Mechanism: funding & finance