Move-in NY: Governor Hochul Announces Breakthrough in Affordable Homeownership for New Yorkers

Governor Kathy Hochul today announced the launch of "MOVE-IN NY," an innovative affordable homeownership program she championed, which was successfully piloted with the creation of three new starter homes in the Cities of Schenectady, Syracuse, and the Town of Newcomb. The program is now expanding statewide to build up to 200 additional starter homes.

"This groundbreaking initiative has the potential to revolutionize the way we create high-quality, beautifully designed starter homes in New York," Governor Hochul said. "With the cooperation of our local partners in urban, rural, and suburban areas of the state, the MOVE-IN program will help address the rising cost of housing and enable more New Yorkers to afford a home of their own and achieve the dream of homeownership."

The pilot program in the first three communities was a collaboration between New York State Homes and Community Renewal, and Champion Homes, a manufactured housing company based in the town of Sangerfield in Oneida County. The three-bedroom, two-bathroom, 1,500-square-foot homes, which include a porch and a garage, were manufactured in a factory and then installed on vacant land owned by local land banks. The homes took six months to complete and cost approximately $250,000 to build and install - which is up to three times faster and nearly half the cost of comparably sized homes built using traditional construction methods. The homes will be sold for less than the cost of construction to low and moderate income homebuyers.

In connection with expanding the program, New York State Homes and Community Renewal (HCR) will open a Request for Applications (RFA) at 4:00 PM ET. Interested local governments, land banks, non-profit housing developers and home manufacturers can learn more and apply to participate by visiting https://hcr.ny.gov/moveinny.

Throughout New York, smaller, more affordable homes - often referred to as "starter homes" - have become increasingly scarce, preventing young individuals and families from becoming first-time homeowners and older New Yorkers from downsizing. In recent years, construction costs, materials and interest rates have skyrocketed, making the typical cost to construct a small, single-family home in New York upwards of $450,000 or more.

As part of her 2025 State of the State, Governor Hochul proposed using innovative approaches to homebuilding to catalyze the construction of starter homes and help create more opportunities for affordable homeownership. The MOVE-IN NY program harnesses the benefits of prefabricated homes to quickly build more affordable starter homes in communities throughout New York. The program is supported by $50 million that the Governor secured in the FY 2025-26 Enacted State Budget. The factory-built homes used in the MOVE-IN NY program can be built quickly and economically, at a large scale. Referred to as "CrossMods," these homes resemble traditional single-family homes and can be integrated in all types of housing markets including urban, suburban, and rural communities.

CrossMods are built to the Federal HUD Manufactured Home Construction and Safety Standards Code and meet design guidelines approved by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which enables homebuyers to access conventional mortgages.

The expansion of MOVE-IN NY will seek to work with communities with a high volume of residentially zoned vacant land, and localities where affordable homeownership opportunities are out of reach for residents. HCR will also continue to explore additional innovations in factory-built starter homes to construct other models, such as townhomes and other multi-story houses, that could serve more densely populated communities and neighborhoods.

This program complements HCR's work to advance affordable homeownership, including its Affordable Homeownership Opportunity Program, its Manufactured Home Advantage Program, and its State of New York Mortgage Agency's suite of homebuyer mortgage programs.

New York State Homes and Community Renewal Commissioner RuthAnne Visnauskas said, "The MOVE-IN program represents an innovative pathway to creating affordable homeownership opportunities. This $50 million investment will enable the state to significantly spur the production of more housing at record speeds to address the issue of the lack of supply. Thanks to Governor Hochul for putting more tools in our toolbox so we could create new pathways to homeownership for New Yorkers. And special thanks to our partners in Syracuse, Schenectady, and Newcomb, as well as Champion Homes, for proving this program will be a success!"

Governor Hochul's Housing Agenda

Today's announcements build on Governor Hochul's robust record since taking office to support homeownership in New York State. In January 2022, Governor Hochul launched the first-in-the-nation $465 million Homeowner Assistance Fund to help 19,600 homeowners who fell behind on payments due to the pandemic remain in their homes. As part of the FY 2023 Enacted State Budget, she implemented a $25 billion Housing Plan to create or preserve 100,000 affordable homes statewide, including homeownership opportunities. More than 65,000 homes have been created or preserved to date.

Under the Governor's leadership, the HCR has provided more than $1.8 billion for nearly 8,000 mortgages to first-time homebuyers and has financed more than 8,000 new homes for sale. Since Governor Hochul took office, New York created a statewide down payment assistance program that has provided over $60 million to 5,000 first-time homeowners, a $50 million program to assist eligible homeowners with emergency repairs, and a $90 million program to help affected homeowners recover from storms.

In December 2023, Governor Hochul signed legislation that strengthened protections for thousands of homeowners in the foreclosure process. In November 2023 and April 2024, the Governor championed and signed new civil and criminal law protections for homeowners against deed theft, creating the crime of deed theft in the larceny statute for the first time, providing prosecutors stronger tools to crack down on these heinous crimes, and creating additional preventative measures in partnership with New York State Attorney General (NYOAG) Tish James. Since taking office, the Governor and NYOAG have supported $160 million to date in legal services for the Homeowner Protection Program (HOPP), which has provided critical services to 15,000 at-risk homeowners, preserving millions of dollars in equity and stabilizing communities.

In 2025, the Governor further took action to disincentivize large institutional investors from buying homes en masse to help level the playing field for everyday homebuyers, including a 90 day waiting period for offers from such investors and removing certain tax benefits.

State Senator Rachel May said, "Syracuse is a city full of potential, but too often that potential is locked up in vacant lots and out-of-reach housing prices. With MOVE-IN NY, we're proving that we can bring new life to our neighborhoods, create attainable paths to homeownership, and build the kinds of homes that let more people put down roots and build families here. This is exactly the kind of innovation we need to grow stronger, more welcoming communities across Central New York."

Assemblymember Angelo Santabarbara said, "Every family deserves the opportunity to achieve the dream of homeownership, and the MOVE-IN NY program is making that possible in communities like Schenectady and across our state. By using innovative building methods to cut costs and speed up construction, we're opening doors for first-time homebuyers and creating new opportunities for families who might otherwise be priced out. This is a smart investment in our neighborhoods, our workforce, and the future of New York."

Schenectady Mayor Gary R. McCarthy said, "The Move-In New York program is a smart and timely tool to help us build high-quality housing at a fast pace and address the housing affordability crisis facing communities across our state. Schenectady is proud to lead the way as one of the first cities to participate in this initiative, and we are grateful to Governor Kathy Hochul and New York State Homes and Community Renewal for being outstanding partners to our city and for leading the way on housing innovation across New York State."

Capital Region Land Bank Chair Richard Ruzzo said, "Meeting the housing needs of our community remains central to the mission of the Land Bank. We thank Governor Hochul and Commissioner Visnauskas for the opportunity to participate in this important pilot program, and we look forward to welcoming a family into their new home in Schenectady very soon."

Essex County Land Bank President & CEO Nicole Justice Green said, "Launching this CrossMod home in Newcomb marks a transformational moment for the Essex County Land Bank and for rural communities across the state, especially those within the Adirondack Park. As one of the first rural land banks in New York, we are proving that innovative housing models can take root even in the most remote corners of the state. This project demonstrates what's possible when state and local partners work together to bring attainable, high-quality homes to the people who need them most."

Greater Syracuse Land Bank Executive Director Katelyn Wright said, "We're honored to have participated in the CrossMod pilot program and have been impressed with how quickly the construction process went. CrossMods present a quick and affordable opportunity to put more quality, new, healthy housing units online in our community. Thank you to Governor Hochul and HCR."

Champion Homes Sales Manager James Davis said, "The need for affordable housing is not going away. The MOVE-IN program addresses the housing crisis head-on with factory-built housing. The program brings affordable homes to market quickly. We thank Governor Hochul, Commissioner Visnauskas, and all our partners for their leadership."

Contact the Governor's Press Office