New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency

DCA Announces ‘Selecting a Contractor’ Presentation Series for Sandy-Impacted Homeowners

For Immediate Release:
July 5, 2018
Contact:
Lisa Ryan
,
Tammori Petty, Gina Trish
609-292-6055

‘Selecting a Contractor’ Presentations Will Be Held throughout July in Partnership with the Affordable Housing Alliance to Help Homeowners Rebuilding from Superstorm Sandy
 
Trenton, NJ – The New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (DCA) today announced a free ‘Selecting a Contractor’ Presentation Series will be held on three dates in July in communities affected by Superstorm Sandy. The presentation series is being hosted by the Affordable Housing Alliance, a non-profit organization that is providing services to Sandy-impacted homeowners and renters through DCA’s Sandy Recovery Housing Counseling Program.
 
The presentations will be held from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on the following dates:

  • Tuesday, July 10, 2018 at the Bay Avenue Community Center, 775 E. Bay Avenue, Manahawkin, NJ, 08050;
  • Monday, July 23, 2018 at the Brick Library, 301 Chambers Bridge Road, Brick, NJ, 08723; and
  • Monday, July 30, 2018 at the Middletown Library, 55 New Monmouth Road, Middletown, NJ, 07748.

The presentations are open to Sandy-impacted homeowners from anywhere in New Jersey.
 
“We are proud to collaborate with the Affordable Housing Alliance on this important topic. While many homeowners affected by Sandy have finished rebuilding their homes, some remain in construction and could benefit from expert guidance,” said Lt. Governor Sheila Y. Oliver, DCA Commissioner. “We encourage these homeowners to attend one or more of the presentations for information on selecting a contractor.”
 
Presenters come from the fields of disaster case management, housing counseling, construction, and law and represent such organizations as the Affordable Housing Alliance, the Saint Bernard Project, and Volunteer Lawyers for Justice. They will discuss how to avoid common pitfalls and guide attendees on how to make the most educated decisions regarding the construction of their Sandy-damaged properties. Also, representatives, including project managers, of the Reconstruction, Rehabilitation, Elevation and Mitigation (RREM) Program will be in attendance. The RREM Program is the State of New Jersey’s largest Superstorm Sandy housing recovery program.
 
For more information on the ‘Selecting a Contractor’ Presentation Series, people may contact the Affordable Housing Alliance by calling (732) 982-5072 or (732) 256-8650.
 
DCA reminds Sandy-impacted residents that free housing counseling assistance is still available to help families affected by the storm.
 
The Sandy Recovery Housing Counseling Program provides free, HUD-certified housing guidance to renters and homeowners who were impacted by the storm and lived in one of the nine counties the federal government determined were most affected by Sandy. The housing counseling services cover a wide array of housing-related issues, including foreclosure prevention, mortgages, budgeting, and rental guidance.
 
For more information on the Sandy Recovery Housing Counseling Program, including contact information for each of the five non-profit agencies providing counseling, visit https://www.renewjerseystronger.org/homeowners/sandy-recovery-housing-counseling-program/.