Battling blight and protecting tenants is the goal of a big grant from New York State Attorney General Letitia James, which was presented to the city of Albany Tuesday afternoon. 

James was on hand to present the check to Mayor Kathy Sheehan.

Sheehan said the $1 million grant was a while in the making. It required extensive research and collaborative work, not only by the attorney general's office, but also from Albany landlords, tenants, developers, and property owners. 

In order to receive the funding, the city had to present a plan for innovative solutions to combat blight and other Albany housing issues and compete against 16 other New York cities.

Over the year, the city said they presented innovative solutions through a program called "Cities for Responsible Investment and Strategic Enforcement," otherwise known as “Cities RISE,” which started in 2017.

Sheehan said city officials want to focus their efforts on helping people stay in their existing homes through initiatives like senior home improvement aid and educating tenants on their rights.

The other part of the $1 million will go to launch the “Good Neighborhood School” program and cracking down on slumlords throughout the city.

The money is being funded through a multi-million dollar housing foreclosure settlement with Goldman Sachs.

Sheehan said she's eager to put the money to good use.

"The thing I’m most excited about is really engaging our residence and listening to both our tenants and landlords so that we can really resolve some of the challenges that we see that lead to blight and abandonment,” she said.