FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Tuesday, December 2, 2014

Christie Administration Announces RREM Information Session in Ocean County to Assist Homeowners Hard Hit by Superstorm Sandy

Information Session Scheduled in Stafford Township on December 8 to
Answer RREM Applicants’ 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 an eighth information session will be held Monday, December 8th, in Stafford Township, Ocean County, to provide personal assistance for applicants 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 Stafford Township Town Hall, Council Chambers, 260 East Bay Avenue, Manahawkin, to provide individualized, hands-on help to enable eligible RREM participants to navigate the program’s process.

The RREM information session is open to eligible RREM participants from any of the nine counties the federal government determined were most impacted by Superstorm Sandy. Approximately 600 RREM applicants have attended the information sessions held during October and November in other communities hard hit by Superstorm Sandy.

The Information Sessions are designed to answer questions that arise during all stages in the RREM process.

RREM applicants recently approved for funding who are unsure of the implications of their newly funded status and are just selecting a contractor to start rehabilitation will be able to receive answers for their general questions.

A major focus of the housing assistance seminars 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 applicants 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.

At the Information Sessions, current RREM applicants 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. Also, homeowners nearing completion on the rebuilding of their storm-damaged home can receive answers to any outstanding questions.

The RREM Program is the largest of the housing recovery programs launched by the DCA 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.

Representatives from the DCA’s Sandy Recovery Division, Housing Recovery Centers, and RREM Program Managers will be present to answer specific questions about the RREM 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.