The Town of North Hempstead was recently announced as one of 18 cities and towns across New York state to receive the first phase of the State Attorney General’s Cities for Responsible Investment and Strategic Enforcement (Cities RISE) grant award. The Cities RISE program provides local governments with innovative technology to address and transform problem properties—including homes and buildings that are blighted, poorly maintained, vacant, abandoned and in financial distress. As a participant in the Cities RISE program, the Town of North Hempstead will receive a specialized software program which will enable various departments to better communicate with each other, share data and visualize property trends occurring through the town.
“This innovative technology will give us a ‘big-picture’ of problem properties and will assist us in improving building safety, code enforcement and the quality of life in our neighborhoods,” said Supervisor Judi Bosworth. “We thank the State Attorney General for providing governments with a new tool to help transform problem properties.”
“This grant will increase collaboration between town departments and increase transparency at the same time,” said Public Safety Commissioner Shawn Brown. “Anything that increases the flow of information will help us in making critical decisions.”
Grant recipients will also receive a subscription to data platforms that will enable them to better analyze data from housing and code enforcement, tax liens, fire and police data.