Assemblywoman Carrie Woerner (Saratoga and Washington Counties) announced today that Governor Kathy Hochul signed into law a bill she authored that will assist elderly homeowners with essential repairs to help keep them safely in their homes. The Residential Emergency Services to Offer Home Repairs to the Elderly program (RESTORE) was established in 2018 to assist low- and moderate-income senior citizens with the cost of critical emergency repairs (such as leaking roofs, or non-functioning boilers). The repairs are provided by local non-profit organizations with the work performed by local contractors.

The new law extends the timeframe for completing repairs and doubles the amount of money available for these repairs. This change to the law is necessary due to increased costs for both labor and materials to execute this type of work, as well as the difficulty in securing labor and materials in light of huge demand and supply chain issues. In addition to the increased funding in the 2022 budget for this program, these changes to the RESTORE program will help more seniors to remain in their homes.

“I am so pleased to implement these critical changes to the RESTORE program to keep it relevant and available to those in our community who wish only to remain in their homes, said Assemblywoman Carrie Woerner. “Anyone who owns a home knows that small issues can become big, even dangerous problems. Programs such as RESTORE must be reviewed and updated to assure they are providing real assistance to address problems when assistance is needed.”

"At Habitat for Humanity, we receive weekly calls from seniors who have owned their homes for decades but now desperately need help to comfortably age in place,” said Adam Feldman, Executive Director of Habitat for Humanity, Northern Saratoga, Warren, and Washington Counties. “The increased funding for the RESTORE program will allow seniors to repair old roofs and update heating systems allowing them to stay in their homes." 

Michelle Larkin, Executive Director of Rebuilding Together Saratoga County said, “Thanks to Assemblywoman Carrie Woerner's leadership on this bill, Rebuilding Together Saratoga County will be able to significantly increase our ability to help our neighbors who are in need of emergency home repairs. This is a real game changer that increases funding for a project and at the same time reduces red tape.”