The Christie Administration Continues To Work With Communities To Rebuild Homes And Improve Infrastructure Five Years After Sandy

REBUILDING HOMES TO CREATE AN EVEN STRONGER NEW JERSEY

More Than $2.4 Billion In Housing Assistance Out The Door:

Five years after Superstorm Sandy struck New Jersey, thousands of families across the State are making progress towards rebuilding and returning to their homes with the assistance of federal grants administered by the Christie Administration.

• Today, approximately $2.4 Billionin federal housing assistance is out the door to help Sandy-impacted families and communities rebuild houses and rental units devastated by the storm.
• More than $900 million has been disbursed to homeowners in the Reconstruction, Rehabilitation, Elevation and Mitigation (RREM) Program, meaning more than 85 percent of all the dollars expected to be disbursed in RREM have made it to homeowners.
• Of the approximately 7,600 homeowners actively participating in RREM to repair their homes, more than 5,500 have completed construction and another 700 have returned home while construction is completed. Thus, RREM has already helped more than 6,200 homeowners return to their pre-Sandy homes.

Giving Homeowners The Option To Sell Repetitively Damaged Property:

Through New Jersey’s Blue Acres Program, the Christie Administration is giving homeowners the option of selling their properties damaged by Superstorm Sandy in tidal areas of New Jersey at pre-storm value so families can relocate out of harm’s way. In turn, the properties are demolished and then converted to open space, accessible to the public, for recreation or conservation to serve as natural buffers against future flooding.  The State has allocated over $300 million for buyouts, including more than $160 million through FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program and approximately $175 million of HUD Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funds.

• Blue Acres has surpassed $100 million in acquisitions of homes in tidal areas affected by Superstorm Sandy or areas that have repeatedly flooded.
• 934 voluntary buyout offers have been made in 14 municipalities.
• So far, Blue Acres has completed 610 property closings and demolished 475 properties.
• Additionally, the Program has facilitated short sale/payoff approvals from lenders for 62 homeowners who were upside-down on their mortgage for a total debt forgiveness that surpasses $5.1 million.

Repairing and Replacing Affordable Rental Housing Units

• Projects that will develop more than 6,500 affordable housing units have received funding commitments through Sandy rental recovery programs.
• More than $460 million has been committed to projects through the Fund for Restoration of Multi-Family Housing and the Sandy Special Needs Housing Program, which are projected to create approximately 5,600 affordable units. To date, 45 projects creating more than 3,100 rental units already have been completed.
• $31 million in zero-interest loans have been approved to provide more than 190 affordable housing units in Sandy-impacted communities through the Neighborhood Enhancement Program; 22 of the projects are complete or nearing completion and another 20 projects are under construction or in pre-construction.

• More than 400 Sandy-damaged housing units that will be rented to low-to-moderate income families have completed construction through funding from the Landlord Rental Repair Program and another 230 units are under construction.

Assisting Families With Storm Related Expenses:

While thousands of homes and rental units are repaired, many Sandy survivors have had to juggle mortgage payments, rent, and repair costs. In addition to $190 million disbursed by FEMA for rental assistance, the State implemented critical recovery programs to address this need.

• The Tenant Based Rental Assistance Program provides short-term, temporary tenant-based rental assistance in the form of a voucher to assist eligible low- and moderate-income households that were affected by Sandy, that continue to need rental assistance, and that plan to rent in the nine counties most impacted by Superstorm Sandy, which are Atlantic, Bergen, Cape May, Essex, Hudson, Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean, and Union. Priority is given to households at or below 30 percent of Area Median Income. DCA has provided rental assistance to approximately 1,600 households.

HELPING COMMUNITIES COPE WITH STORM EXPENSES AND INFRASTRUCTURE IMPACTS

Non-Federal Cost Share (“Match”) Program: In August 2016, the Christie Administration began accepting applications by local government entities through the Non-Federal Cost Share (“Match”) Program for reimbursement of their local share of FEMA assistance for emergency activities undertaken in the lead-up to Sandy and in the clean-up following the storm. Even though FEMA reimburses 90 percent of these costs, the 10 percent local share resulted in a significant financial burden for communities and their taxpayers. To alleviate this burden, the State now allows local government entities, including municipalities, counties, and school districts, to apply for funds to cover their 10 percent portion for the costs of Sandy debris removal and emergency protective measures.  To date, nearly $31 million has been disbursed to 41 local governments and school districts under the Local Match Program.

FEMA Community Disaster Loan Program: Provides funds to eligible communities to assist with governmental functions. These loans assist local governments that have experienced a disaster-related revenue loss that significantly compromises their ability to deliver essential services. The Department of Community Affairs conducted extensive outreach to struggling municipal officials and gained the Department of Education’s cooperation to do the same with school boards. To date, over $111 million in loan proceeds have been distributed to 60 towns and school districts impacted by Sandy.

Essential Services Grants:  Assisted Sandy-impacted local governments in funding essential services such as police, public works and education. Approximately $133 million in Essential Services Grant awards were approved for 20 local governmental entities in the program’s three rounds. The local governments included Asbury Park, Atlantic City, Brick, Brigantine Board of Education, Downe Township, Highlands, Keansburg, Keansburg Board of Education, Lavallette, Lavallette Board of Education, Little Egg Harbor Board of Education, Moonachie, Ocean County, Pinelands Regional Board of Education, Sea Bright, Seaside Heights, Seaside Heights Board of Education, Seaside Park, Toms River Township, and the Toms River Board of Education. All Essential Services Grant awards have been disbursed.

FEMA Technical Assistance Program: In order to assist communities with the PA process, the New Jersey Office of Emergency Management established the Disaster Recovery Bureau (DRB), a grants management organization, to provide technical assistance to county and local governments as well as other eligible private non-profits. This assistance has included assigning State Applicant Liaisons (SALs) to provide face-to-face guidance through the FEMA process.

Planning Initiatives: Helps Sandy-impacted local governments improve their ability to withstand future storms. Planning grants for 50 local governments have been approved, with nearly $13 million in grants committed. The local governments are making use of the grants to rebuild and develop in ways that reduce the risk of future storm damage and encourage sustainable economic growth, and to leverage other grant funds.

DISASTER RECOVERY HEALTH & SOCIAL SERVICES PROGRAMS

The State’s Departments of Human Services, Health and Children & Families have operated dozens of recovery programs and initiatives targeting post-Sandy health and social service needs through the $227M Social Services Block Grant (SSBG) provided by the federal Department of Health & Human Services.  To date, more than $200 million of SSBG funding has been expended as follows:

• Approximately 60,000 people have received behavioral health screenings
• More than 15,000 people have been screened for increased blood lead levels, including those at highest risk – children under six, pregnant women and professionals working to rebuilding Sandy-affected communities
• Nearly 300 homes with individuals facing home accessibility challenges have been approved for funding through the Ramp Rebuild, Replacement and Installation Program to obtain modular ramps, vertical platforms or stair lifts;
• The Recovery and Rebuilding Initiative has treated more than 3,500 individuals in detox, medically enhanced detox and short-term residential treatment programs.
• Over 7,100 people have received additional legal/financial literacy, psycho-educational and support group services at Family Success Centers.
• Over 5,400 people received assistance through the Nursing Support Program which assures the well-being of children and families that come to the attention of the State as high risk for child health concerns; and
• More than 10,300 people received psychosocial services provided in schools, camps and community locations.