by Deborah Boatright, northeast regional director, NeighborWorks America
Six months after Superstorm Sandy rocked the coastlines of
New Jersey, New York City and Long Island, NeighborWorks America and its
affiliates remain deeply engaged in helping homeowners and businesses to
recover and rebuild. We are committed for the long haul; with our sights set on
strengthening community resiliency in an era of climate change.
Over the past six months, NeighborWorks America educated more than 750 contractors and homeowners at 13 mold remediation trainings,
six of which were co-sponsored with NeighborWorks affiliates. A fully
updated “Navigating the Road to Housing Recovery Guide”, providing “road maps”
to residents on rebuilding, repairing, selling, relocating, buying or renting,
was released in March, and 90 counselors and nonprofit professionals were
trained in its use. The Navigating Guide and Mold Remediation tools are
downloadable from our website: www.nw.org/sandy.
NeighborWorks America’s northeast regional headquarters is
located in lower Manhattan, and our local staff has been steeped in recovery
and resiliency discussions throughout the region. Our office was closed for
four months due to flooding. Staff came back to a changed landscape. Many of
the small stores that surround our building have yet to reopen; and the South
Street Seaport, a major tourist attraction and hub for small businesses,
remains shuttered. Similar conditions exist in other hard hit commercial areas
along the region’s vast shoreline.
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Wayne Meyer, president of NeighborWorks affiliate
|
This is a pivotal time in recovery and rebuilding, as
congressionally appropriated resources are becoming available for deployment,
and the private funding community is more organized and focused. NeighborWorks
America has a unique role to play, utilizing our nationally regarded expertise
in training, community building, impact measurement, capacity building and
grant making. Our affiliates are doing great work, guided by a deep commitment
and astute professionalism that is the hallmark of NeighborWorks. It is
challenging work in the communities that we have all long called
home.
Wayne Meyer, president of New Jersey Community Capital (NJCC), was one of a
dozen people honored this week at the White House as a Superstorm Sandy “Champion of Change” for the organization’s REBUILD New Jersey Fund. The REBUILD
New Jersey Fund closed 23 loans totaling $800,000, preserving 135 jobs for
customers like Architectural Hardware in Jersey City, New York, a family owned and operated distributor of metal and wood
doors, frames and hardware for more than 40 years. Architectural Hardware had
up to 56 inches of water, and lost a great amount of inventory and all its
vehicles. Their loan allowed the owners and their nine employees to get back to
business through the purchase a new forklift, replaced inventory, and
replenished revenues.
In
Monmouth County, New Jersey, homeowners and
residents seeking help with their housing situation continue to come to the
Affordable Housing Alliance’s offices daily, and the organization has seen a
rise in the number of applicants for assistance through their statewide utility
relief program. Fifteen of the 17 mobile homes purchased by
this NeighborWorks affiliate are now installed and on the way to full
occupancy, and the remaining two, accessible units for people with
disabilities, are arriving soon. The Alliance’s work is featured in a
compelling video by the Robin Hood Foundation, focusing on
the story of Kanseisha Wilson, a home health aide and mother of two.
Neighborhood Housing Services of East Flatbush, part
of NeighborWorks affiliate NHS of New York City, opened a Housing
Recovery Center in Brooklyn’s Canarsie section. Homeowners there were
able to re-occupy their homes only after the City of New York’s rapid repair
program addressed their most emergent needs. Permanent repairs remain to
be done, and funds are in short supply. NHS’ experienced contract management
specialist has helped 57 families to assess their homes and plan for
appropriate repair, and the organization secured funds for small grants of
$10,000 to help offset the costs. Qualifying counselors assist families to negotiate
insurance claims, address mortgage issues and avoid scams, which are rapidly
growing. The innovative program was recently featured on NY1.
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| "It is important for Asian Americans for
Equality to be there because people in the community trust us. Our physical presence shows we are there for the long haul,” said Raquel Colon, senior housing counselor. |
Asian Americans for Equality (AAFE) is working heavily in Queens,
Southern Brooklyn and Staten Island with a focus on Asian Americans and new
immigrants. AAFE has stationed staff at local grassroots organizations in
Coney Island and Sheepshead Bay to strengthen their capacity, while
offering grants, low interest loans, targeted technical assistance and
one-to-one financial counseling to impacted homeowners and small businesses
throughout the city. To date, over 160 businesses from all over the city have
received loans totally $3.2 million from AAFE’s small business affiliate,
and more than 200 walk-in clients were served just at one Emergency Help Center
in Flushing, Queens. AAFE too is deeply concerned with scams and predatory
contractors, and plans to review contractor records and work claims for
homeowners.
“There are three big issues that we are facing in terms of
recovery. Clients are being advised to elevate their homes, flood insurance
rates are sky high now, and people need guidance and direction on how to
navigate the bureaucracy. It is important for AAFE CDF to be there because
people in the community trust us. Our physical presence shows we are there for
the long haul,” said Raquel Colon, senior housing counselor.
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| Wade attended a Hope for Homeowners event sponsored by NeighborWorks America, Hope Now Alliance, Community Development Corporation of Long Island |
On Long Island,
which has the largest number of FEMA applicants of all three areas, Community
Development Corporation of Long Island’s Sandy Housing Recovery Program is
working extensively in seven towns throughout Nassau and Suffolk counties. CDCLI is
currently focused helping 143 clients to create individual plans to address
their immediate and long term housing needs, and is making their full array of
housing services available. Insurance and mortgage issues related to the storm
are prevalent—49 of their current clients are also receiving help with these
issues. Amityville resident Harold Wade, who came to CDCLI at a Hope
for Homeowners event, typifies many homeowners: “"I was under water in two
ways, both from Sandy and financially," said Wade. "It’s a long road
ahead but it’s my opportunity to start over again."
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