GAP Fund Reintroduced this Budget Session

The Green Affordable Pre-electrification (GAP) Fund (A.2101 Kelles / S.3315 Gonzalez) was reintroduced as a budget bill that presents a systemic solution to myriad New York challenges including health, housing, jobs, renewable energy, environmental health, and climate.

New York State has the oldest building stock in the nation, and low-income residents disproportionately live in the oldest of those buildings. These buildings are typically poorly insulated and have inefficient heating systems, leaving their residents struggling with high energy bills.

For at least two decades the mere presence of mold, asbestos, lead paint, and other health hazards common to old buildings has routinely disqualified low-income New Yorkers from accessing state or federal funds for weatherizing their homes. The fact that these issues that are so common to old buildings disqualify the people who need these funds the most is a systemic injustice that maintains a cycle of poverty and dates back at least 20 years. 

The resulting chronic health impacts overburden our social services and lead to increased employee absenteeism and other workplace disruptions that disproportionately impact local businesses. So, New York residents and local businesses pay for the ongoing health impacts of the oldest building stock in the nation, as contractors routinely inspect these homes for energy programs only to disqualify them unsurprisingly.

A break from this pattern is long overdue.  The GAP Fund presents a systemic solution that would create healthy homes and meaningful jobs in disadvantaged communities while building a stronger New York economy overall.