Christie Administration Earmarks 1,000 Housing Vouchers for Residents Displaced by Hurricane Sandy
Almost $10 Million Will Be Made Available to Transition Families Into Permanent Housing

Trenton, NJ – As an emergency measure to assist survivors of Hurricane Sandy, the Christie Administration today announced that it will set aside 1,000 vouchers from the state-administered Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program to assist 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, which average approximately $9,840 per year per household, will total $9.84 million. 

“We are making steady progress in reaching out to our communities that have been devastated by the storm,” said Governor Christie. “There is no more important task for New Jersey at this moment than to ensure that our families have the necessary resources they need to recover from the destruction of Hurricane Sandy.”

The HCV program, which is administered by the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (DCA), 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. DCA has set aside the 1,000 vouchers from the existing program funding that HUD has awarded the department.

“We are pleased to offer these resources to families that have been affected by Hurricane Sandy,” said DCA Commissioner Richard E. Constable, III. “As we focus on recovery and rebuilding, it is important to focus on the families displaced by the storm so they can return to a sense of normalcy by moving into permanent housing.”

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.

Any vouchers issued will be funded by the HUD-awarded Annual Budget Authority.  Applications will be reviewed for eligibility, and serviced in the DCA Field Office that covers the region where the applicant wishes to reside. 

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