NJ Launches Hurricane Ida Recovery Program for Small-Sized Rental Property Owners

The New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (DCA) has launched the Small Rental Repair Program (SRRP), a Hurricane Ida recovery initiative aimed at helping owners of rental properties with one to seven units. The program seeks to provide affordable housing opportunities for low- to moderate-income households and is part of the Murphy Administration's Ida Recovery Strategy.

Lt. Governor Sheila Oliver, who also serves as DCA Commissioner, explained that the SRRP offers zero-interest forgivable loans to assist rental property owners in repairing their Ida-damaged properties and making them more resilient against future storms. The program is administered by DCA's Division of Disaster Recovery and Mitigation, with funding from federal Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) monies provided by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

Assistance available through the SRRP includes property repairs, elevation, structural and utility strengthening, and improved drainage to prevent future flooding. Rental property owners may also receive help to make their units accessible for tenants with disabilities. To be eligible, rental property owners must meet specific criteria, such as owning the property at the time of application, having experienced at least one foot of flooding or $8,000 in damages from Hurricane Ida, and is located in one of the designated disaster-declared counties.

Upon project completion, rental property owners are required to rent their housing units at affordable rates to low- to moderate-income households for a determined number of years based on the SRRP loan award. Rental property owners can find more information about the program online, by calling (609) 292-3750, or by emailing DisasterRecoveryandMitigation@dca.nj.gov.

Three other Ida recovery programs, launched on February 27th, remain open: the Tenant-Based Rental Assistance (TBRA) Program, the Homeowner Assistance Recovery Program (HARP), and the Housing Counseling and Legal Services Program. Further information on DCA's Ida recovery programs can be found at https://www.nj.gov/dca/ddrm/programs/ida/index.shtml.