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

• Posted on: 04/3/2023

Small Rental Repair Program Assists Ida-Impacted Owners of Rental Properties with One to Seven Units

TRENTON, NJ – The New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (DCA) today launched the Small Rental Repair Program (SRRP), a Hurricane Ida recovery program that assists owners of rental properties with one to seven housing units and provides affordable housing opportunities for low- to moderate-income households. 

The SRRP program is the fourth Ida recovery program that DCA has launched and is part of the third phase of the Murphy Administration’s Ida Recovery Strategy, which is focused on helping households and communities still in need of assistance from the damaging effects of the storm that hit New Jersey in September 2021.

“The Small Rental Repair Program aims to help mom and pop rental property owners fix their Ida-damaged properties and strengthen them so they are better prepared for the next storm,” said Lt. Governor Sheila Oliver, who serves as DCA Commissioner. “Zero-interest forgivable loans are now available and we encourage rental property owners to apply for the financial assistance to help themselves and renter households in their communities who need affordable places to live.”   

DCA’s Division of Disaster Recovery and Mitigation is administering SRRP, which is being funded with federal Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) monies from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

Multiple types of assistance are available to rental property owners participating in SRRP. For example, rental property owners may qualify for assistance to repair a property and/or elevate it. The program may provide additional assistance to make properties more resilient to future storms by strengthening the structure and utilities and/or improving drainage to prevent future flooding. Rental property owners also may receive assistance to add ramps, lifts, or roll-in shower stalls to make their units accessible for tenants with disabilities. The type of assistance provided will be determined on a case-by-case basis.

To be eligible for the program, rental property owners must own the property at the time of application or have an option to purchase the property during the time of application. The property itself must have had at least one foot of flooding or $8,000 in damages from Hurricane Ida, as determined by FEMA or a program damage assessment, and be located in one of the following disaster-declared counties: Bergen, Essex, Gloucester, Hudson, Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Morris, Passaic, Somerset, Union, and Warren.

Upon completion of the project, rental property owners must rent their housing units at affordable rates to low- to moderate-income households, which are households earning at or below 80% of area median income (AMI). The number of years that the rental property owner is required to provide affordable rental housing will be determined based on the amount of the SRRP loan award.

Rental property owners can learn more about the program online. They can also call (609) 292-3750 or email DisasterRecoveryandMitigation@dca.nj.gov for more information. 

The three Ida recovery programs that DCA launched on February 27^th remain open:

• Tenant-Based Rental Assistance (TBRA) Program, which helps cover rental housing costs for low-income rental families impacted by Hurricane Ida to make rental housing more affordable. Households must live in one of the following disaster-declared counties: Bergen, Essex, Gloucester, Hudson, Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Morris, Passaic, Somerset, Union, and Warren. TBRA pre-applications are available online. People can also request a TBRA pre-application by calling (609) 913-4252 or by emailing mailto:DRM.TBRA@dca.nj.gov.
• Homeowner Assistance Recovery Program (HARP), which provides owner-occupied residential property owners with financial assistance to help them repair, elevate, and, in some cases, rebuild their primary homes that were damaged by Hurricane Ida. Households must have been living in the home and owned the property at the time of the storm. The primary homes must be located in one of the following disaster-declared counties: Bergen, Essex, Gloucester, Hudson, Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Morris, Passaic, Somerset, Union, and Warren. HARP applications are available online. People can also request a HARP application by calling DCA’s Division of Disaster Recovery and Mitigation constituent services office at (609) 292-3750 or by emailing DisasterRecoveryandMitigation@dca.nj.gov.
  
  
• Housing Counseling and Legal Services Program, which provides a wide range of supportive services to both renters and homeowners who were impacted by Hurricane Ida to help them recover from the storm. The services include assessing housing needs, reviewing household finances, identifying available resources, and helping people complete applications for disaster recovery programs. People can learn more about the program online. People can also call (609) 913-4463 or email DRM.HCS@dca.nj.gov for more information about accessing the services. 

Additional programs are being developed and will open in the coming months. For more information on DCA’s Ida recovery programs, people can visit https://www.nj.gov/dca/ddrm/programs/ida/index.shtml.

The Ida recovery programs that DCA administers are included in New Jersey’s HUD-approved Hurricane Ida Action Plan for the $228 million in CDBG-DR funding awarded for Ida recovery. The Action Plan was developed in consultation with residents, county and municipal officials, nonprofit organizations, and other stakeholders in New Jersey, as well as with input DCA received from thousands of people who completed the Hurricane Ida Registration.

People can read the Action Plan in English and Spanish on the DCA website at https://www.nj.gov/dca/ddrm/home/Idaactionplan.shtml. A major goal of the Action Plan is 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.

In November 2022, HUD allocated an additional $149 million in CDBG-DR funding to New Jersey to address remaining unmet needs. The State will draft an amendment to the Hurricane Ida Action Plan to specify how the $149 million will be used and will post the amendment for public comment later this year.

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. The Division also administers federal Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery funding the State of New Jersey has received to recover from natural disasters such as Superstorm Sandy and Hurricane Ida.

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.

 For more information about DCA, visit https://nj.gov/dca/ or follow the Department on social media: