Sandy Resettlement Checks Going Out

Some New Jersey homeowners severely impacted by Superstorm Sandy have been receiving $10 thousand checks in the mail. The Homeowner Resettlement Program is aimed at giving residents the financial resources they need to rebuild, while keeping them in the Garden State.

The checks can be used for any non-construction purpose, such as flood insurance premiums, utility bills and replacement furniture. In turn, the grant recipient must agree to remain in the county of their damaged residence for at least another three years.

“As people rebuild their lives, we want them to stay right here in New Jersey,” Governor Chris Christie told Little Ferry residents during a Tuesday morning press conference.

Christie said pockets of New Orleans remain abandoned, years after Hurricane Katrina, and that situation needs to be avoided here.

About 16 thousand Sandy-impacted homeowners will end up receiving resettlement checks; applications are being accepted until August 1. Eligible homeowners can apply online at renewjerseystronger.org, by phone at 1-855-SANDY-HM, or in person at any of the Housing Recovery Centers.

To be eligible for the grant:

• You must have owned and occupied a primary residents in one of the nine most-impacted counties (Atlantic, Bergen, Cape May, Essex, Hudson, Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean, Union) at the time of the storm.
• You must have registered for assistance with the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
• You must have sustained at least $8,000 in damages or more than one foot of flooding on the first floor as a result of Sandy.