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New Jersey Launches 3 Disaster Recovery Programs for Hurricane Ida Victims
The programs aim to provide financial assistance and supportive services to renters and homeowners impacted by the storm in 12 disaster-declared counties.
The New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (DCA) has launched three new disaster recovery programs to provide assistance to renters and homeowners who were affected by Hurricane Ida. These recovery programs are part of the third phase of the Murphy Administration’s Ida Recovery Strategy, which aims to help households and communities that are still struggling from the devastating effects of the storm that hit New Jersey in September 2021.
The DCA’s Division of Disaster Recovery and Mitigation is administering the programs, which are funded with federal Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
The three programs available are the Tenant-Based Rental Assistance (TBRA) Program, the Homeowner Assistance Recovery Program (HARP), and the Housing Counseling and Legal Services Program. The TBRA Program helps cover rental housing costs for low-income rental families, while the HARP provides financial assistance to owner-occupied residential property owners to repair, elevate, and, in some cases, rebuild their homes. The Housing Counseling and Legal Services Program offers supportive services to both renters and homeowners to help them recover from the storm.
TBRA pre-applications are available online, and TBRA program staff will review pre-applications and refer households that meet eligibility criteria to complete a full application. HARP applications are also available online, and people can request a HARP application by calling DCA’s Division of Disaster Recovery and Mitigation constituent services office or by emailing DisasterRecoveryandMitigation@dca.nj.gov. People can learn more about the Housing Counseling and Legal Services Program online or by calling (609) 619-4463 or emailing DRM.HCS@dca.nj.gov.
The programs announced today are part of New Jersey’s HUD-approved Hurricane Ida Action Plan, which allocates $228 million in CDBG-DR funding for Ida recovery. The Action Plan aims to assist low- and moderate-income households, including minorities, people with limited English proficiency, and people with disabilities, in their recovery from Hurricane Ida. At least 70 percent of the CDBG-DR funds will benefit low- to moderate-income persons or households.
HUD has also allocated an additional $149 million in CDBG-DR funding to New Jersey to address remaining unmet needs, and the State will draft an amendment to the Hurricane Ida Action Plan to specify how the funds will be used.
The Division of Disaster Recovery and Mitigation promotes the long-term resilience of New Jersey’s communities by supporting initiatives to fortify housing, communities, and infrastructure against severe weather events and flooding damage. In addition to disaster recovery and mitigation, DCA offers a wide range of programs and services, including local government management and finance, affordable housing production, fire safety, building safety, community planning and development, historic preservation, and information privacy.
