February 9th, 2026

New York State’s Proposed Budget Eliminates the Healthy Neighborhoods Program

by Anna Plankey and Amanda Reddy | Updated February 12

New York State’s Healthy Neighborhoods Program (HNP), one of the nation’s longest-running healthy housing programs, is at risk of being eliminated under the New York State Department of Health’s proposed 2027 budget.

The Healthy Neighborhoods Program is a New York State-funded public health initiative that works directly with households to identify and reduce health hazards in the home. Local health departments and partner organizations conduct in-home assessments and provide practical, evidence-based interventions—such as education, supplies, referrals, and minor remediation—to address asthma triggers, indoor air quality issues, lead exposure risks, and injury hazards. HNP is prevention-focused, housing-based, and designed to improve health before medical care is needed.

What’s at Stake

For nearly 40 years, HNP has helped protect children, older adults, and families by providing in-home assessments and practical interventions to reduce health risks related to asthma, indoor air quality, childhood lead exposure, and home safety hazards. The program operates in 17 counties and New York City and has been widely recognized as a national model for upstream, prevention-focused public health action.

The governor’s proposed budget removes the state’s core appropriation for HNP (approximately $1.45 million annually), which serves as the backbone of the program and helps leverage additional federal and local funding. Eliminating the state investment will effectively dismantle this critically important program statewide.

Why This Matters

HNP is not an untested or duplicative program. It has a proven track record documented by published evaluations demonstrating improved health outcomes and a positive return on investment. Peer-reviewed studies have documented reductions in asthma-related symptoms and healthcare utilization, as well as meaningful improvements in housing conditions that support long-term health and safety.

Importantly, HNP fills critical gaps that other programs do not:

  • HNP addresses multiple health risks through a single, integrated, in-home approach, including indoor air quality, asthma, lead exposure, fire safety, carbon monoxide, radon, and injury hazards. While some programs provide more intensive remediation for specific hazards, HNP is uniquely designed to identify and reduce a broad range of risks that often co-occur in the same homes.
  • HNP complements—but does not duplicate—other existing programs that target specific outcomes and provide more extensive services, including the New York State’s childhood lead poisoning prevention programs and existing and proposed Medicaid-funded asthma services. For instance, HNP has reliably served as a referral source for these programs, has helped to expand the reach of lead and asthma services, and served as a platform for launching new and innovative public health programs.
  • HNP serves households who would otherwise fall through the cracks, including families who are not currently eligible for Medicaid and communities where other healthy housing resources are limited or unavailable. Medicaid-funded home-based services are typically tied to specific eligibility criteria. As a result, households who need help improving housing conditions may lack access to prevention services if a resident does not meet diagnostic criteria or if the eligible enrollee is not the person experiencing the housing-related health risk. The services may also be more tailored to the specific diagnosis and miss opportunities to prevent other harms.
  • Planned expansions of home-based asthma and injury prevention services under the New York Health Equity Reform (NYHER) 1115 Waiver are not yet fully implemented; and even when operational, they will not replace the comprehensive, housing-based approach that HNP provides (neither in the scope of hazards addressed nor scope of the population served). The NYHER Waiver is an important expansion of services, addresses some housing-related needs that HNP does not and provides more extensive remediation for specific populations. However, in addition to not being fully implemented yet, NYHER is not designed to replace HNP’s broader prevention role. HNP reaches a wider range of households and addresses key healthy housing issues like radon, carbon monoxide prevention, and fire safety that are not included in the NYHER waiver.

Eliminating the HNP would remove a proven prevention infrastructure at the very moment when New York (and other states) are grappling with how to contain costs while continuing to protect residents from preventable harms.

Where HNP Currently Operates

The HNP currently provides services in 17 counties and New York City, reaching residents across urban, suburban, and rural communities:

  • Broome County
  • Cattaraugus County*
  • Cayuga County
  • Clinton County*
  • Columbia County*
  • Cortland County*
  • Erie County
  • Genesee County*
  • Madison County*
  • Monroe County
  • New York City
  • Niagara County
  • Onondaga County
  • Orange County
  • Rockland County
  • Schenectady County
  • Seneca County*
  • Tompkins County*

Eight counties (marked with asterisks) do not receive funding from the Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program (CLPPP+), making HNP a particularly critical source of healthy housing services.

How to Get Involved

All healthy housing advocates and especially New York state residents are strongly encouraged to engage, regardless of whether you live or work in a county that has a HNP program. Below are some opportunities to advocate for this program. This is an evolving situation, and we will update this post throughout February with more information and opportunities to engage. If you have questions, suggestions, or stories to share, contact Anna Plankey at aplankey@nchh.org.

By February 10 (Immediate Engagement Opportunity)

On February 10, the Joint Health and Medicaid Committee is holding a legislative budget hearing to continue budget negotiations, including funding of the HNP. Anyone can submit written testimony via email to financechair@nysenate.gov and WAMchair@nyassembly.gov by 5:00 p.m. (ET) this Tuesday, February 10. Your written testimony will be made a part of the record to be considered by the committee. All properly submitted testimony will be shared with Members and staff and posted to the Senate and Assembly web sites. Details here.

2026 NCHH letter advocating for the continued funding of the New York State Healthy Neighborhoods Program

Click to read NCHH’s testimony supporting the New York State Healthy Neighborhoods Program.

The deadline to testify in person has passed, but you can still make your voice heard. Let your legislators know how important this program is to you and your community.

Sample written testimony and templates:

  • Read New York State Association of County Health Officials’ (NYSACHO) submitted testimony here.
  • Dr. Katrina Smith Korfmacher is a professor at the University of Rochester Medical Center. Read her submitted testimony here.
  • Read the Coalition to Prevent Lead Poisoning’s submitted testimony here.
  • Read NCHH’s submitted testimony here.

For those preparing their own written testimonies, we’re sharing the following samples and templates:

On or Before March 1

Submitted and sample testimonies are provided in the bulleted list directly above. As additional letters from advocates become available, we’ll add them to this blog. For local advocates (especially those in counties served by HNP), consider the following actions:

For all advocates:

• Add your name to this sign-on letter (coming soon).

If you have questions about outreach or finding your representative, contact Anna Plankey at aplankey@nchh.org.

What Other New Yorkers Are Saying About the Healthy Neighborhoods Program

Below, you’ll find additional testimonies and assessments of the HNP:

  • Testimonies from HNP users in Cayuga County: Cayuga County Health Department: My Healthy Neighborhoods Experience.
  • The Coalition to Prevent Lead Poisoning’s Article on HNP: Lead Watch.
  • NYSACHO’s fact sheet about HNP: Restore the $1.45M in Healthy Neighborhoods Funding.
  • University of Rochester Medical Center’s county-specific HNP data: Appendix 1: Supporting Information – Individual Responses from Local Health Departments.

More About New York’s Healthy Neighborhoods Program

The resources below document the importance, efficacy, and return on investment of this program. Feel free to cite these resources in your written testimony and outreach to provide data or talking points in your advocacy.

 

 

February 9th, 2026 | Posted By , | Posted in Appropriations, Blog | Tagged , , , ,