SYRneighborhoods

The Neighborhood Block Challenge Program (BCP) provides matching grants to teams of neighbors who complete exterior home improvement projects that increase the curb appeal of their homes. Households are eligible for a 50% match up to $2,500 per participant for exterior projects such as façade improvements, structural improvements, and landscaping. The program brings neighbors together to build community identity and sense of pride, while improving the physical appearance of Syracuse neighborhoods and establishing momentum to support larger and more impactful property improvements.

Learn More about the Block Challenge Program

Additional SYRneighborhoods programming is planned to launch in 2026 and will be focused on providing grants and low-interest financing to homeowners in the Tipperary Hill - Far Westside and Salt Springs neighborhoods for major home repairs that increase the market value of their property.

In 2023 the City of Syracuse completed the Syracuse Housing Study, a comprehensive analysis of the city's housing market. The report guided the development of housing strategies and led to the launch of the Syracuse Housing Strategy in January 2024, a multi-year framework for improving housing conditions in the city of Syracuse. This was followed by a robust series of neighborhood steering committee meetings to identify resident priorities around neighborhood investment and growth.

Later in 2024, the City of Syracuse formed the Syracuse Housing Strategies Corporation to enable a protected, flexible source of capital to create and preserve safe, affordable, and attractive housing opportunities for current and future residents. Launched in the summer of 2025, SYRneighborhoods and the Neighborhood Block Challenge Program are an outcome of these efforts.