Tent City on AOL's home page

AOL's homepage had a video about Lakewood's Tent City.  Click here

Citizens Impacted by Sandy Encouraged to Register

TRENTON, N.J. — Hurricane Sandy survivors who had storm-related damages in New Jersey have until April 1 to register with the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

April 1 is also the deadline to return applications to the U.S. Small Business Administration for low-interest disaster loans, which is the primary source of federal funds for long-term rebuilding.

Survivors can apply for an SBA disaster home or business loans by filling out an online application at DisasterLoan.SBA.gov/ela.

Survivors who applied for federal disaster assistance are urged to stay in touch with FEMA and SBA. Applicants should notify FEMA and SBA of changes to their mailing addresses, phone numbers or email addresses.

Survivors can register online and check on the status of their applications at DisasterAssistance.gov, via smartphone or tablet at m.fema.gov. They also can call 800-621-3362 or TTY 800-462-7585. Those who use 711-Relay or Video Relay Services can call 800-621-3362. Recovery assistants remain available daily from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.

There are nine disaster recovery centers open in Atlantic, Cape May, Hudson, Monmouth and Ocean counties. FEMA staff is available at the centers to provide clarification to letters, assist survivors with finding a temporary home if their primary residence was damaged or destroyed, check on the status of applications for assistance or refer survivors to other agencies that may provide additional help. Survivors can locate their nearest center by going to FEMA.gov/DRC.

Survivors can ask questions about their SBA disaster home or business loan applications by calling 800-659-2955 or TTY 800-877-8339 or emailing disastercustomerservice@sba.gov.

Additional resources are available online at FEMA.gov/SandyNJ and SBA.gov/Sandy.

From the Foundation Center: Why housing is everyone’s issue

Guest post from Gretchen Greiner-Lott, Vice President, Washington Regional Association of Grantmakers.

Why should you care about housing? Well, during last week’s snow event, I had some time to think about that a bit. Although we were all stuck at home together, my family and I still had light, heat, and shelter from the elements, as well as access to stores. But some people I know were not that lucky. It made me think about all the things that many of us take for granted that are essential to a strong, healthy, and connected community.

Because I have lived in my neighborhood for some years, I know my neighbors. I know who is sick or elderly and might need some help during the snow. I also know who might be able to assist me, if the need should arise. For those folks in our region whose housing situation is different – they move from place to place in search of a more affordable housing situation or the affordable situation they find lands them in a not so safe neighborhood – their community experiences are very different. They are not connected or supported.

“What does this have to do with me?” you might ask.

Everything.

For the remainder of the essay from the Foundation Center, click here.

Tent City hearings

Tent City article about the #homeless camp in Lakewood, NJ in Asbury Park Press today. Destiny's Bridge #documentry http://www.app.com/article/20130322/NJNEWS/303220106?fb_action_ids=511162072258321&fb_action_types=og.recommends&fb_ref=artsharetop&fb_source=timeline_og&action_object_map=%7B%22511162072258321%22%3A322015121234604%7D&action_type_map=%7B%22511162072258321%22%3A%22og.recommends%22%7D&action_ref_map=%7B%22511162072258321%22%3A%22artsharetop%22%7D …

Photo with 'Destiny's Bridge' dir. Jack Ballo on fri at Ocean Cty.Court House as Tent City fights for dignity & homes. pic.twitter.com/ZxAwdBNDeU

NJ DCA Rental Fair Saturday April 6

RENTAL FAIR

RETURNING FAMILIES TO SAFE PERMANENT HOUSING

  

WHEN: SATURDAY, APRIL 6^TH 10 AM - 2 PM

WHERE: TOMS RIVER INTERMEDIATE EAST SCHOOL

ADDRESS: 1519 HOOPER AVENUE, TOMS RIVER, NJ

The New Jersey Department of Community Affairs invites individuals and families displaced by Superstorm Sandy to attend this Rental Fair.

Attendees will have the opportunity to meet with prospective landlords and realtors on-site to discuss available housing, review listings, and discuss permanent housing options.

Learn about Special Admissions for Section 8 Vouchers available for those who qualify.

Registration to attend is not required, but strongly recommended.

Please e-mail at HurricaneSandy@dca.state.nj.us

Or call 609 633-6606

Reasonable accommodations for people with disabilities are available upon request.  Include a description of the accommodation you will need and tell us how to contact you if we need more information.  Make your request as early as possible.  Last minute requests will be accepted, but may be impossible to fill.  Call 609 633-6606 or send an e-mail to HurricaneSandy@dca.state.nj.us

DIRECTIONS

1519 HOOPER AVENUE, TOMS RIVER, NJ 08753

IF YOU ARE COMING BY CAR

·         The RT-70 exit, EXIT 88, toward Brick Twp / Lakehurst / Lakewood.

·         Keep left to take the ramp toward Brick.MapHide Map If you are on RT-70 and reach Airport Rd you've gone about 0.4 miles too far

·         Turn left onto RT-70.

·         Turn right onto Shorrock St.MapHide Map

o   If you reach Duquesne Blvd you've gone about 0.6 miles too far

·         Shorrock St becomes Beaverson Blvd

·         Turn right.MapHide Map

o   Past Regent Ct. Dunkin Donuts is on the left

·         Turn slight right onto Brick Blvd.

·         SUNOCO is on the corner

·         Brick Blvd becomes Hooper Ave

·         Make a U-turn onto Hooper Ave.MapHide Map

o   If you reach Beatrice Ave you've gone about 0.1 miles too far

1519 HOOPER AVE is on the right…iMapHide Mapf you reach Brokaw Blvd you've gone a little too far.

IF YOU NEED PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION

VISIT: http://www.tomsriveronline.com/Transportation.htm for information on transportation options to/from Toms River.

Note: NJ Transit Bus #67 stops at Hooper Ave and Brokaw Blvd which is a .19 mile walk to the school.

Out of Reach 2013

According to Out of Reach 2013, the Housing Wage for New Jersey is $24.84 making it the area the fourth most expensive in the nation. The Housing Wage is the hourly wage a family must earn – working 40 hours a week, 52 weeks a year – to be able to afford the rent and utilities for a safe and modest home in the private housing market.

The report, Out of Reach 2013, is a national study by the National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC), a Washington, D.C.-based housing policy organization. The report provides the Housing Wage and other housing affordability data for every state, metropolitan area, combined non metropolitan area, and county in the country.

The mean wage for a New Jersey renter is $16.77 an hour, below the housing wage for a modest two-bedroom. At the mean wage, an individual would have to work 59 hours a week to afford a two-bedroom apartment at fair market rent (FMR).  At minimum wage, $7.25 an hour, a New Jersey worker would have to work 137 hours a week or 3.4 full jobs a week to afford a two-bedroom at FMR.

The full data set featuring a ranking of New Jersey's most to least expensive states can be found here.  This data set also includes a top ten ranking of least affordable states as well as a listing of occupations and their wages.  Click here to view a fact sheet of New Jersey's data and comparison chart here.  National data available at http://nlihc.org/oor/2013. 

Click here to read a news release on Out of Reach 2013.

Archived Out of Reach Data:
2008          2009          2010          2011          2012

Asbury Park Press: Sandy aid relief shorting renters

Mar 14, 2013

The devil is still in the details. While Governor Chris Christie announced Tuesday that the cavalry had arrived - with more than $800 million in federal funds to help homeowners and $500 million for businesses are included in New Jersey’s plan for its federal superstorm Sandy money, details about applying for that aid will not be revealed for another few weeks. And the few details that have been released raise troubling questions about whether the most vulnerable and the hardest hit, chiefly low-and moderate income renters, will receive a fair share of it.

The announcement triggers a seven-day public comment period. If the plan is approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, more than 20,000 homeowners, 5,000 renters and 10,000 businesses could get grants to help close the gap in the cost of repairing or rebuilding .Once that ends, the plan will be submitted to the Obama administration for approval, after which the specifics will be put in place.

That is a big if.

HUD could amend the plan and it should. As Kevin Walsh, associate director of the New Jersey-based Fair Share Housing Center said, 80 percent of the lowest income people impacted by Sandy are renters. Yet only 20 percent of the people covered by the State's proposed plan are renters, Associate Director Kevin D. Walsh said.

"Fewer than one out of every twenty renters who registered with FEMA would be helped through the state's plan," Walsh added.

On the surface, the announcement must seem like balm to those who sustained some of $3.83 billion in damage to homes and properties caused by Sandy. The programs for homeowners include: $600 million to provide eligible homeowners up to $150,000 to rebuild, repair and elevate damaged primary residences and $25 million to provide up to $50,000 to low- and moderate-income households to purchase a home.

Yet contrast that with the state’s proposal to spend $225 million to expand the stock of rental housing, including zero- and low-interest loans of up to $120,000 per unit for developers and public housing authorities to develop new rentals and zero-interest loans of up to $50,000 per unit to help repair small rental properties damaged by the storm. Another $40 million would be paid to rental property owners as incentives for agreeing to lease to low- and moderate-income households.

But the rental market in New Jersey has always been tough, even before Sandy. The crunch is even greater now as displaced homeowners scramble to put a roof over their heads. Other details the state’s residents are still waiting for include how people apply for these programs, the income eligibility requirements, and when and how the final two rounds of the federal monies for relief and rebuilding will arrive from Washington.

Gov. Christie said this week that these programs “ have been carefully, but quickly designed to fill the unmet needs faced by our residents.” Not carefully enough, though. HUD should insist on a more equitable distribution of funds to assist the renters in our state.