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Latest News For You | For Agency Professionals
LONG-TERM HOUSING RESOURCES
Finding Long-Term Housing Solutions
NeighborWorks recently published Navigating the Road to Housing Recovery, a comprehensive guide to resources and informative tutorial that has been structured to help hurricane survivors make educated decisions about rebuilding, relocating, rental options, insurance-related matters and home repairs. The guide is divided into four sections and organized in a manner that encourages readers to go to the sections that address their most pressing concerns. It will be updated as new resources become available.
Many homes did not survive the storm. Other homes are in need of major repairs. Below is information about programs and services in our state that will help you answer the question, "Where am I going to live now?" As we receive notification of special events or new housing programs we will post it to this page.
FEMA Benefits for Housing FEMA provides disaster recovery assistance on many levels. To learn all about how to apply for assistance and how to contact FEMA if you have questions, start by familiarizing yourself with the process by reading our web page devoted to FEMA. Among the assistance provided by FEMA is a subsidy towards transitional housing and temporary housing while your residence is being repaired.
FEMA may be able to help you with temporary housing and housing related expenses:
- Transitional Shelter Assistance (TSA) - Short-term lodging assistance for evacuees who are not able to return home for an extended or indeterminate period of time following a disaster. FEMA may provide Transitional Shelter Assistance in hotels and motels to those who continue to need housing after shelters have closed because they are unable to return to their homes. Find participating hotels.
- Rental payments for temporary housing for those whose homes are unlivable. Initial assistance may be provided for up to three months for homeowners and at least one month for renters. Benefits may be extended for up to 18 months, based on a review of individual applicant requirements.
- Security Deposits - Up to one month of financial temporary housing assistance may be used toward your security deposit. In order to receive continued financial temporary housing assistance, you must submit documentation to show that funding was used toward a security deposit.
- Utility costs refer to the cost of basic utility services, such as heating, water, and electricity. Utility costs do not include cable television, internet, or telephone service.
American Red Cross Hurricane Sandy Recovery Efforts Continue
The American Red Cross is working with families and individuals whose home remains uninhabitable as a result of Hurricane Sandy. ARC staff will assist in obtaining housing, coordinate with other agencies in an effort to satisfy unmet needs and provide limited financial assistance for things like moving costs, security deposits, and minor home repairs when other resources have been exhausted. Call 848.202.2930 or 848.202.2931 Monday through Friday from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm.
Read FEMA's FAQ about shelter assistance.
Below are other resources you can explore as you try to find alternate living arrangements.
The NJ Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency has devoted several pages of their website to addressing the housing needs of hurricane survivors. Learn more here.
NJ Housing Resource Center (NJHRC) is an online, housing information clearinghouse designed to help all New Jerseyans with their housing-related needs. Landlords throughout New Jersey are opening their available properties to Hurricane Sandy victims. Many of these properties are now listed on the NJHRC. The site hosts information on available properties statewide, and the database is updated daily. Searches on the database can be narrowed to limit your results to include a specific type of housing unit and the site includes maps and pictures and is updated bi-weekly to give an accurate reflection of housing availability in our state. Visit the NJHRC website and click on "Find Housing" or call 877.428.8844 for more housing information. View NJHRC flyer on housing post Hurricane Sandy.
The FEMA Housing Portal is intended to help individuals and families, who have been displaced by a disaster, find a place to live. The portal consolidates rental resources identified and provided by federal agencies, such as the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), U.S. Veterans Administration (VA), private organizations, and the public, to help individuals and families find available rental units in their area. Once you find a suitable listing, call to see if it is still available. Visit the FEMA Housing Portal.
Housing Choice Voucher Program Opens to Low-Income Hurricane Survivors
As an emergency measure to assist survivors of Hurricane Sandy, the Christie Administration has set aside 1,000 vouchers from the state-administered Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program to help low-income households that were displaced by the storm in moving into permanent housing. Funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the HCV program will provide vouchers that will be used as "Special Admissions" for households that cannot return to their homes. The vouchers average approximately $9,840 per year per household.
The HCV program provides decent, safe and sanitary housing to very low income households in the private rental market by reducing housing costs through direct rent subsidy payments to landlords. Households that meet the income eligibility requirements generally pay between 30 to 40 percent of their adjusted monthly income towards their housing cost.
Those eligible for this program must meet the following requirements:
- You must be registered with FEMA and have a gross household income up to 40% of Area Median Income.
- You must have rented an apartment or owned a primary home that is no longer habitable due to the storm.
- You must be legally in the United States.
Vouchers will be issued on a first-come, first-served basis. Applicants, who are storm survivors in motel/hotel type housing, with special emphasis on households with children, will be referred by a collaborating agency such as FEMA. Applications will be accepted from households that are referred by the collaborative agency, can verify displacement from their housing as a direct result of Hurricane Sandy, and meet all other program eligibility standards. Any assistance awarded cannot be concurrent with housing assistance from another source. Also, applicants are required to provide proof of identity, citizenship status, Social Security Numbers, birth records, income records for all household members, along with proof of survivor status.
Download the Rental Assistance for Hurricane Sandy Survivors flyer. To receive an application and program guidelines, call 609-633-6606, e-mail Hurricane.Sandy@DCA.State.NJ.US or dial 2-1-1.
NewJersey Homekeeper Program
The New Jersey HomeKeeper Program offers up to $48,000 in forgivable mortgage assistance to New Jersey homeowners who are at risk of losing their homes to foreclosure as direct result of unemployment or underemployment.
Learn more/apply online.
You may be eligible for assistance through the Homeless Prevention Program (HPP). This program provides temporary assistance to households who are facing eviction or foreclosure because of conditions that have left them incapable of making payments. Natural disasters fall into this category but must be documented by the Red Cross or a letter from FEMA. This aid is temporary and is based upon income eligibility. Learn more about HPP.
Housing Assistance for Homeless Veterans
The Department of Housing and Urban Development and VA Supported Housing (HUD-VASH) Program provides permanent housing and ongoing case management treatment services for homeless Veterans who require these supports to live independently. This program allows Veterans and their families to live in Veteran-selected apartment units and provides for the most vulnerable Veterans. It is especially helpful to Veterans with families, women Veterans, recently returning Veterans and Veterans with disabilities. Learn more about HUD-VASH.
Learn about other housing options on NJ 2-1-1 housing-related web pages.
.Need Help? – Dial 2-1-1
You are encouraged to dial “2-1-1” 24 hours a day, seven days a week if you need help in understanding and finding available assistance services. Language translation and TTY services are offered to any caller. You can also search our database for services in your local community or Chat Live with an experienced community resource specialist. 2-1-1 will help identify with you the best local resources to fit your individual needs during times of distress or for life’s everyday situations.
If you know of additional resources that would be appropriate to include in this section, please let us know by contacting us via e-mail at info@nj211.org.
Page last reviewed/modified on 4.18.13
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