NJ Housing Recovery Centers Now Open

The Christie Administration has announced that “reNew Jersey Stronger” Housing Recovery Centers are now open in each of the nine counties most impacted by Superstorm Sandy. Eligible homeowners whose primary residences were damaged or destroyed by the storm can visit any of the nine Housing Recovery Centers to apply in-person for two grants designed to encourage them to resettle in their homes and help them repair, elevate or rebuild their residences.

Sandy-impacted homeowners can apply for grant assistance at www.renewjerseystronger.org or by calling 1-855-SANDYHM (1-855-726-3946). The Housing Recovery Centers are an additional option homeowners have to apply for assistance.

“We want to make applying for our ‘reNew Jersey Stronger’ grant programs as easy as possible for Sandy-affected individuals whose lives have been anything but easy since the storm made landfall,” said Governor Christie. “Homeowners should continue to apply online and through the call center, but these recovery centers are there if they need in-person assistance.”

Sandy-impacted homeowners do not need to come to the Housing Recovery Centers if they previously applied to the “reNew Jersey Stronger” grant programs online or over the phone. In the next few weeks, applicants will be contacted directly about the status of their application and any necessary steps that they must take.

Under the “reNew Jersey Stronger” housing initiative, homeowners whose primary residences were damaged by the storm in the nine most-impacted counties (Atlantic, Bergen, Cape May, Essex, Hudson, Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean, and Union) are encouraged to apply for both of the following grant programs:

· Homeowner Reconstruction, Rehabilitation, Elevation and Mitigation (RREM) Program: This $600 million program provides eligible homeowners up to $150,000 grants to help repair, elevate or rebuild their primary residences.

· Homeowner Resettlement Program: This $180 million program is aimed at encouraging eligible homeowners to remain in the nine counties that were most seriously affected by the storm by providing $10,000 grants to encourage them to resettle in their existing primary home or resettle in the same county.

“We urge all eligible homeowners to take advantage of both the RREM and Resettlement programs if they haven’t already,” said Richard E. Constable, III, Commissioner of the NJ Department of Community Affairs (DCA), which is administering the ‘reNew Jersey Stronger’ initiative. “These grants are meant to help homeowners affected by Superstorm Sandy rebuild stronger and remain in their homes, but funding is limited.”

Funding for the “reNew Jersey Stronger” grants comes from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery program. To date, HUD has approved $1,829,520,000 in CDBG Disaster Recovery funds for New Jersey. The ‘reNew Jersey Stronger’ housing initiative will utilize $780 million of the allocation.

Eligible homeowners are strongly encouraged to submit an application on or before June 30, 2013. Applications that are received on or before this date will be processed electronically and subsequently prioritized focusing on factors such as degree of damage, income levels and communities that suffered the greatest impact from Superstorm Sandy. Residents can apply after June 30, but applications received after this date will be processed on a first-received, first-processed basis. Notwithstanding, priority will continue to be given to those homes with the most damage and to homeowners who are most in financial need.

For more information on the “reNew Jersey Stronger” initiative, including details about the application process, determination of eligibility, and award calculation, visit www.renewjerseystronger.org or call the hotline number 1-855-SANDYHM (1-855-726-3946).