FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Wednesday, November 5, 2014

Christie Administration Announces RREM Information Session in North Jersey to Assist Homeowners Hard Hit by Superstorm Sandy

Information Session Scheduled in Little Ferry, Bergen County on November 12 to Answer RREM Participants’ Questions about Rebuilding Their Homes


　

Trenton, NJ – Continuing its ongoing efforts to assist Sandy-impacted families in rebuilding their storm-damaged homes, the Christie Administration today announced that a seventh information session will be held Wednesday, November 12, in Little Ferry, Bergen County to provide one-on-one, personal assistance for storm-affected homeowners in North Jersey who are participating in the Reconstruction, Rehabilitation, Elevation and Mitigation (RREM) Program.

　

The information session will be held from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Little Ferry Senior Center, 95 Main Street to provide individualized, hands-on help to enable eligible RREM participants to navigate the program’s process.

　

The RREM information session is open to all eligible RREM participants from any of the nine counties the federal government designated as most impacted by Superstorm Sandy, but eligible RREM participants from northern New Jersey are especially encouraged to attend. Approximately 500 RREM participants have attended the six other information sessions held this month in other communities hard hit by Superstorm Sandy. To date, information sessions have been held in Brick, Brigantine, Little Egg Harbor Township, Point Pleasant Borough, Toms River, and Union Beach.

　

"Whether you are nearing completion on the rebuilding of your storm-damaged home, are recently funded under the RREM Program and just selecting a contractor to start rehabilitation, or are still on the RREM waitlist, we will have knowledgeable staff available to field your questions," said New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (DCA) Commissioner Richard E. Constable, III, whose Department administers many of the State’s Sandy housing recovery initiatives, including the RREM Program.

　

The RREM Program is the largest of the housing recovery programs launched by the State in the wake of Superstorm Sandy. The program provides grants to Sandy-impacted homeowners to cover rebuilding costs up to $150,000 that are not funded by insurance, FEMA, U.S. Small Business Administration loans, or other sources. The RREM Program is no longer accepting applications.

　

A major focus of the information sessions is to encourage RREM Program participants who have not signed and returned their Right of Entry forms to complete and submit them to the DCA. RREM participants must complete and return the Right of Entry form to allow the State to conduct a federally mandated environmental and historical review of their home to ensure there are no negative impacts to the environment and any historical or archaeological artifacts.

　

"We encourage newly funded applicants and applicants still on the RREM Program waitlist to complete and return these all-important Right of Entry forms," said Commissioner Constable. "The reconstruction or rehabilitation of your home through the RREM Program cannot move forward without a signed Right of Entry form."

　

RREM participants recently approved for funding who are unsure of the implications of their newly funded status will be able to receive answers to their general questions. Also, program participants can check their application’s status, address challenges they may be facing in their individual rebuilding process, determine new action items, and educate themselves about best practices and key information as they move through the program.　

　

Representatives from the DCA’s Sandy Recovery Division, Housing Recovery Centers, and RREM Program Managers will be present to answer specific questions about the program. Additionally, representatives of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs will be available to discuss respectively the federally mandated environmental and historical review and best practices in selecting a reliable contractor to undertake home rebuilding work.

　

For more information on the RREM information session, RREM applicants may contact the DCA’s Sandy Constituent Services Office by calling 609-292-3750 or by emailing sandy.recovery@dca.nj.gov.