State Opening Housing Center For Monmouth Storm Victims

County homeowners affected by Hurricane Sandy now have new resources now that nine housing recovery centers – including one in Freehold -- opened on Saturday throughout the areas hardest hit by the October storm, according to Gov. Chris Christie’s office.

Homeowners whose main residence was damaged or destroyed by the storm can visit the nearest “reNew Jersey Stronger’’ Housing Recovery Centers to apply in person for two grants designed to assist displaced residents and help repair, rebuild or elevate their homes, according to a release.

For those affected by the storm in Monmouth County, the Housing Recovery Center will open at 8 a.m. at 4 Paragon Way, in Freehold.

Under the “reNew Jersey Stronger” housing initiative, homeowners in the nine affected counties – Monmouth, Ocean, Atlantic, Bergen, Cape May, Essex, Hudson, Middlesex, and Union – may apply for a portion of the $780 million in grants aimed at helping homeowners resettle, raise or rebuild their homes.

“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,” Christie said in the release. “Homeowners should continue to apply online and through the call center, but these recovery centers are there if they need in-person assistance.” 

Available to eligible residents are the Homeowner Reconstruction, Rehabilitation, Elevation and Mitigation Program – a $600 million program providing $150,000 grants to help repair, elevate or rebuild their primary residences – and the Homeowner Resettlement Program -- $180 million program providing $10,000 grants to encourage residents to resettle in their existing primary home or resettle in the same county, according to the release.

“These grants are meant to help homeowners affected by Superstorm Sandy rebuild stronger and remain in their homes, but funding is limited,” Richard E. Constable, III, commissioner of the NJ Department of Community Affairs, which is administering the initiative, said in the release.

Funding for the “reNew Jersey Stronger” grants comes from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery program. To date, HUD has approved $1,829,520,000 in disaster recovery money for New Jersey, the release says.

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, the release says.

Residents can apply after June 30, but applications received after this date will be processed on a first-come, first-served basis. Priority still will be given to those homes with the most damage and to homeowners who are most in financial need, the release says. 

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).