First Niagara provides nearly $50,000 for affordable housing opportunities and homebuyer education in Western New York

Bank will provide financial support for housing counseling to boost home ownership rates

The First Niagara Foundation is providing $47,500 in grant funding to enhance affordable housing opportunities, improve financial stability and provide homebuyer education in the Western New York community.

The foundation is partnering with Belmont Housing Resources, Black Rock Neighborhood Housing Services, Niagara Falls Neighborhood Housing Services and West Side Neighborhood Housing Services.

"First Niagara is committed to making sure that Buffalo's renaissance is evident in all neighborhoods," said Buford Sears, First Niagara regional president, Western New York. "We are proud to work with great organizations in our community that work every day with local residents to help them assess their financial lives, make the dream of home ownership a reality, improve their financial fitness and promote greater self-sufficiency."

"We appreciate the First Niagara Foundation's ongoing commitment to the Western New York Community, and welcome their partnership and support of our housing counseling and financial education program here at Belmont," said Michael Riegel, president, Belmont Housing Resources for WNY. "Through their generosity, we are able to provide high-quality, homebuyer educational programs, as well as our financial education counseling. By implementing these programs we are not only able to expand affordable housing opportunities, but impact the lives of the WNY families and individuals who need it most."

"Partnerships such as this one allow Niagara Falls Neighborhood Housing Services to continue stabilizing neighborhoods through homeownership preservation," said Kathleen Steinman, executive director of Niagara Falls Neighborhood Housing Services Corp.

"The First Niagara Foundation is a valuable partner to both West Side Neighborhood Housing Services and Black Rock-Riverside Neighborhood Housing Services. Their generous support helps our organizations to provide housing solutions as a foundation for individuals, families and neighborhoods to build vibrant communities," said Megan Burns-Moran, executive director of West Side Neighborhood Housing Services and Black Rock-Riverside Neighborhood Housing Services. 

The First Niagara Foundation is a not-for-profit charitable entity. Founded in 1998, the First Niagara Foundation is committed to supporting organizations in the communities in which members live and work, with specific focus on youth and education, community development and neighborhood revitalization. In 2015, the First Niagara Foundation contributed nearly $6 million in charitable grants to community partners across the bank's four-state footprint.