Improving Lives & Communities

Hudson River Housing improves lives and communities through housing with compassion and development with vision.

We are dedicated to building strong, sustainable communities by developing and preserving quality affordable housing and helping families and individuals obtain and maintain housing through education, advocacy and support services. We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to live in safe, affordable housing that meets their needs, regardless of income, family makeup, race or ethnicity, physical or mental health issues, or any other defining factors.

We work towards inclusive neighborhood revitalization by leveraging affordable housing and community building as critical tools, creating long-term opportunity for individuals and families and building greater socio-economic resilience in the City of Poughkeepsie and throughout Dutchess County and the greater Hudson Valley.

What drives our staff, donors and volunteers is a passion to create affordable homes for all and to instill the sense of pride and achievement that comes from having a home of your own and being part of a vibrant community.

Our work extends throughout the Hudson Valley, where we assist people of all ages and communities of all types and sizes. As long as people need a place to call home and long for a sense of community, our work will continue.

Our door is open!

At Hudson River Housing we see the potential in people and the capacity for communities to thrive. We see the passion among our 200+ staff members and countless donors and volunteers to provide everyone with a good place to live in dignity.

Call us, come see us, or find out how you can get involved.

What We Do

  • Emergency & Affordable Housing

    We create pathways out of homelessness through emergency, transitional, and permanent housing. We provide opportunities for people of all ages and incomes to live in the Hudson Valley.

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  • Homebuyer Education & Assistance

    We help people achieve the dream of owning and maintaining a home. We provide education and counseling and work with families to prevent foreclosure.

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  • Specialized Supportive Services

    Our Street Outreach team helps those struggling with homelessness by providing referrals, resources, support, and access to shelter. We also offer unique programs and opportunities that specifically cater to vulnerable populations including veterans, youth, and seniors.

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  • Vocational Training & Small Business Support

    We create pathways to meaningful work through our social enterprises that provide job training opportunities to youth and adults. Our small business incubation programs support inclusive economic growth by helping launch and grow entrepreneurs and creating locally-rooted businesses and jobs.

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  • Real Estate & Community Development

    We work with residents and stakeholders to create communities of opportunity for all. We revitalize neighborhoods and increase affordable housing through real estate development, including new construction and property rehabilitation, historic preservation, and adaptive reuse.

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40 YEARS OF HOUSING WITH COMPASSION

40 YEARS OF HOUSING WITH COMPASSION

Our History

  • 1970s And 1980s Solving Immediate Needs With Homeless Services

    In the 1970s, rural and urban Dutchess County was experiencing rising levels of homelessness. By the early 1980s the matter became acute and a Dutchess County Task Force was formed to address the growth in the homeless population. In 1982, Hudson River Housing (HRH) was incorporated with a focus on providing Resident Services for the homeless. Starting with a staff that consisted of three people they embarked on the first Hudson River Housing project when they opened the doors on Gannett House, an emergency shelter for homeless families, backed by The Dutchess County Department of Social Services and the Gannett Foundation. At Hudson River Housing providing emergency shelter is always the first and most immediate need, then care managers begin to address the issues that lead to homelessness .

  • Late 1980s-Early 1990s Creating Pathways To Home Ownership

    In the late 1980s, Hudson River Housing adopted Dutchess County Coalition for the Homeless (DCCH) a program run by volunteers. Then and now volunteers amplify what our staff can do and carry our mission out into the community. It is their commitment that fuels our mission. In 1988, New York State designated HRH as a Neighborhood Preservation Company. The roles of these not-for-profit companies includes, housing rehabilitation, home buyer counseling, tenant counseling, landlord/tenant mediation, community rehabilitation and renewal, crime watch programs, employment programs, legal assistance, and Main Street Development.

    Like many of the New York State’s more than 200 Neighborhood Preservation Companies, Hudson River Housing is also involved in the planning and development of capital projects including new construction and/or rehabilitation of older housing stock. Companies perform this work with the assistance of governmental sources and leveraged funds from the private sector.

  • 1990s – Real Estate Development, Home Ownership Promotion, And Property Management

    By the 1990s, HRH knew that there were not enough homes to house the homeless and we needed to develop affordable housing for those moving out of emergency shelters. In 1991 we began Real Estate Development, breaking ground on our first homeownership project in Poughkeepsie.

    Poughkeepsie offered potential for affordable apartments through the rehabilitation of existing properties. Hudson River Housing added Property Management to our roster of activities in 1992.

  • Mid-1990s – Community Development – Revitalizing Poughkeepsie’s Northside

    In the mid-1990s, Hudson River Housing was growing and so were our goals. In 1996 we began targeted Community Development with the Anchor-Based Neighborhood Revitalization (ABNR) initiative. We made a commitment to revitalize a three block area of Poughkeepsie’s Northside.

    Economic pressures grew in Dutchess County in the second half of the 1990s with the downsizing of IBM, the passing of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act (aka Welfare Reform) and the rapid increase of foreign-born residents to Poughkeepsie. Our services were in greater demand and we continued helping the homeless and providing opportunities for low and moderate income residents, young adults and seniors to stay in the area. In 1997 we added Homeownership Promotion to our services and in 1998 founded “The First Home Club” – a savings program for homeownership.The continuum of services was growing increasing and succeeding.