Darcy McCourt, executive director of Rebuilding Together Hudson Valley, told the Poughkeepsie Common Council on June 3 that her nonprofit’s program provides free health-and-safety home repairs to income-qualified homeowners and that local uptake has fallen sharply.

McCourt said the organization has done work in the region for 33 years and has placed more than $8.3 million in capital repairs into owner-occupied homes. She said applicants must be on the deed, have household income at or below 80% of area median income (about $67,000 for a single person), occupy the property as a primary residence, be current on taxes and homeowner’s insurance, and meet an annual HUD home-value standard used to determine eligibility.

“Most of the applicants who apply for our services are in the $30,000 range,” McCourt said, adding that the program’s priority is health and safety work such as mobility modifications, mold remediation, and replacing failing single-pane wood windows.

McCourt told council members that the number of applicants from the city has fallen from 13 ten years ago to one last year and asked council members to let her attend ward meetings and community events to promote the program’s June 1–Sept. 30 application window (with an October extension for incomplete applications). She said the group keeps applicant data secure and operates a local office at 82 Washington Street for assistance.

When asked about how long repairs are tied to a residence, McCourt said the required occupancy period depends on funding sources: New York State access-to-home funding carries a two-year restriction, while some programs (referred to as AHC by McCourt) can attach a lien for up to 10 years, though agencies sometimes waive liens in particular circumstances.

McCourt also said Rebuilding Together expanded into Ulster County in 2024 and received 31 applications in the first year there; five were from the city of Kingston. She asked council members to direct events and outreach opportunities to her office so more eligible Poughkeepsie homeowners learn about the free work.

Council members said they would circulate the materials and consider ward-level outreach to boost applications. Councilmember Grant said a constituent had already asked him about similar repairs and that the presentation matched local needs.

McCourt can be reached through the materials she left with the council and at the local office she described.