Showing posts with label home repair. Show all posts
Showing posts with label home repair. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 28, 2017
Jersey Shore Workcamp Applications Due March 15
From Middletown Public Information:
February 24, 2017
Teenagers from across the U.S. will come to Monmouth County this summer as part of Jersey Shore Workcamp VIII to repair homes for low income, elderly or disabled residents. Teams of 5 teenagers and at least one adult leader will do the work. The work camp is hosted by St. John's United Methodist Church and Group Cares.
Eligible repairs may include: exterior house painting (vinyl & aluminum siding included), interior home painting, limited roofing (no tear-offs), mobile home roof coating, mobile home skirting, wheelchair ramps, exterior step repair or replacement (no plumbing or electrical work). Both labor & materials will be free to qualifying homeowners. (Must own home--no rentals). Applications will be carefully reviewed to determine qualification. In order to be considered, return applications no later than March 15, 2017. Call Bill or Gail Bechtoldt for more information at 732-671-1036.
Download: Jersey Shore Work Camp Application
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
Federal Government Will Now Allow Reimbursement to Sandy Victims for Repairs Made Inbox x
HUD Responds to Congressman’s Request to Revise Guidelines
In the immediate aftermath of Sandy, many homeowners in New Jersey were told they could begin the process of rebuilding their homes and that the funds spent for these purposes would be eligible for reimbursement with federal CDBG funds provided to the state of New Jersey. However, this was not the case for some homeowners whose requests for reimbursement were later rejected because of a HUD regulation requiring environmental reviews for homes that sustained damage in excess of 50% of the property’s value. Unfortunately, homeowners were not made aware of this regulation before they were told that they could begin to rebuild.
HUD made the change to this policy in response to a request from Congressman Pallone in a letter sent to Secretary Donovan earlier this month. The new policy will give the State of New Jersey flexibility to reimburse homeowners with CDBG funds after they had spent money on repairs and reconstruction activities. They would still have to get environmental reviews completed, but they will no longer have to have been initiated before they spent money out of pocket.
“This new policy means that more New Jerseyans are on the road to getting the grants they were promised,” said Pallone. “It’s absolutely critical that we work together in this rebuilding process, and I’m pleased that HUD listened to my concerns and answered them.”
Sunday, December 16, 2012
Only a Partial Solution
The following is from Congressman Rush Holt's newsletter:
Since last August, more than 300,000 of America’s young immigrants have emerged from the shadows to apply for a new program that provides temporary protection from deportation.
The program, known as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, asserted by the President because Congress would not act, has strict eligibility rules. It is open only to immigrants who were brought into this country as children, who have grown into law-abiding adults, and who have worked hard to better themselves through education or military service.
By offering a legally recognized status to these immigrants, many of whom have never known any other home than America, the Childhood Arrivals program has made our immigration system more humane and just. This partial solution reminds us how much more remains to be done to create an immigration system that benefits our society and our economy at large and treats individuals and families humanely and justly.
I expect that one of the major issues of the early 113th Congress will be the consideration of more comprehensive immigration legislation. To guide this process, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and the Congressional Progressive Caucus have set forth nine principles for immigration reform.
The principles call for requiring undocumented immigrants to register with the federal government, submit to a background check, learn English and American civics, and pay taxes. In return, these new Americans would earn a path to permanent residency and eventual citizenship. The principles also emphasize the importance of attracting highly educated immigrants, protecting the border, and ending the exploitation of immigrant workers.
These principles are sensible, straightforward ideas that should guide America’s conversation about immigration reform in the new year.
Not Just Rain and Wind
You may know that you can apply for federal disaster assistance to help pay the costs of repairing damage done to your home by Hurricane Sandy. But did you know that disaster grants may also help cover indirect costs of the storm?
The Genealogical Society of New Jersey, for instance, is a Trenton-based nonprofit that was scheduled to hold its annual public meeting and lecture on November 10, just days after Sandy struck New Jersey. The society was forced to postpone its meeting, requiring the re-printing and re-mailing of all of the associated flyers and publicity announcements. Total costs ran up to $850 – a meaningful amount of money for a small organization.
Fortunately, the Genealogical Society applied for and received a grant to cover its losses from the New Jersey Council for the Humanities. The grant was one of several provided from a larger, $30,000 fund that the New Jersey Council secured with my support after the storm.
To be clear, not all indirect hurricane damages will be covered by grants or disaster aid, but the Genealogical Society’s story shows how a dedicated organization can recover even losses that weren’t the direct result of rain or wind.
If you or your organization suffered direct or indirect damage from Hurricane Sandy, the first step is to apply for FEMA disaster relief by visiting DisasterAssistance.gov. If FEMA aid does not fully cover your costs, please contact me at holt.house.gov/contact or 1-87-RUSH-HOLT (1-877-874-4658), and I would be glad to help you determine how you might pursue additional aid.
Remain On Guard for Disaster Relief Scams
In the aftermath of a natural disaster, scam artists too often attempt to prey on disaster victims. FEMA is warning of several particularly common scams:
Further information about protecting yourself from these and other scams is available online.
Sincerely,
Rush Holt
Member of Congress
Since last August, more than 300,000 of America’s young immigrants have emerged from the shadows to apply for a new program that provides temporary protection from deportation.
By offering a legally recognized status to these immigrants, many of whom have never known any other home than America, the Childhood Arrivals program has made our immigration system more humane and just. This partial solution reminds us how much more remains to be done to create an immigration system that benefits our society and our economy at large and treats individuals and families humanely and justly.
I expect that one of the major issues of the early 113th Congress will be the consideration of more comprehensive immigration legislation. To guide this process, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and the Congressional Progressive Caucus have set forth nine principles for immigration reform.
The principles call for requiring undocumented immigrants to register with the federal government, submit to a background check, learn English and American civics, and pay taxes. In return, these new Americans would earn a path to permanent residency and eventual citizenship. The principles also emphasize the importance of attracting highly educated immigrants, protecting the border, and ending the exploitation of immigrant workers.
These principles are sensible, straightforward ideas that should guide America’s conversation about immigration reform in the new year.
Not Just Rain and Wind
You may know that you can apply for federal disaster assistance to help pay the costs of repairing damage done to your home by Hurricane Sandy. But did you know that disaster grants may also help cover indirect costs of the storm?
The Genealogical Society of New Jersey, for instance, is a Trenton-based nonprofit that was scheduled to hold its annual public meeting and lecture on November 10, just days after Sandy struck New Jersey. The society was forced to postpone its meeting, requiring the re-printing and re-mailing of all of the associated flyers and publicity announcements. Total costs ran up to $850 – a meaningful amount of money for a small organization.
Fortunately, the Genealogical Society applied for and received a grant to cover its losses from the New Jersey Council for the Humanities. The grant was one of several provided from a larger, $30,000 fund that the New Jersey Council secured with my support after the storm.
To be clear, not all indirect hurricane damages will be covered by grants or disaster aid, but the Genealogical Society’s story shows how a dedicated organization can recover even losses that weren’t the direct result of rain or wind.
If you or your organization suffered direct or indirect damage from Hurricane Sandy, the first step is to apply for FEMA disaster relief by visiting DisasterAssistance.gov. If FEMA aid does not fully cover your costs, please contact me at holt.house.gov/contact or 1-87-RUSH-HOLT (1-877-874-4658), and I would be glad to help you determine how you might pursue additional aid.
Remain On Guard for Disaster Relief Scams
In the aftermath of a natural disaster, scam artists too often attempt to prey on disaster victims. FEMA is warning of several particularly common scams:
- Home Repair Scams - Unregistered home improvement contractors may take your money and disappear, leaving unfinished work and unsafe homes. Before hiring a contractor, you should check with the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs at 1-800-242-5846 to make sure the contractor is registered.
- Identity Theft - Scam artists may pretend to be employed by FEMA, the Small Business Administration (SBA), or other government agencies and try to obtain personal information such as Social Security and bank account numbers. Please bear in mind that all authorized FEMA or SBA personnel display a laminated photo identification card, which they are required to wear at all times.
- Charity Scams – Before donating, you should investigate to be sure the organization asking for donations is registered to solicit in New Jersey and ask how the money will be used.
Further information about protecting yourself from these and other scams is available online.
Sincerely,
Rush Holt
Member of Congress
Monday, December 3, 2012
Before You Raise Your House, Read This: On Dec. 10, FEMA will announce new standards for flood elevations.
The article below, which I cross posted from Little Silver-Oceanport Patch, is a great little article packed with information about what people need to do before they consider raising their homes to comply with new FEMA regulations. It makes a nice companion piece to my earlier post, Video: Hurricane Sandy Home Repair, Rebuilding & FEMA Public Info Session.
By Shannon K. Winning
Little Sliver-Oceanport Patch
By a show of hands at a recent town hall meeting, more than 100 people in Oceanport are considering raising their homes that were flooded in superstorm Sandy.
Some have already met with contractors to do the work and gotten estimates. One resident said he is scheduled to raise his home on Monday.
If you are one of those homeowners weighing the decision, there are some questions you should ask first.
How high is high enough?
Mayor Michael Mahon told residents on Thursday that homes that were raised after the 1992 storm did not get water inside their living spaces.
Mahon said that's because, "Our ordinance is stricter than other communities."
Even then, Sandy's surge surpassed that previous 100-year storm mark by about 2 feet. And many of those raised homes still saw flooding in their garages, crawl spaces and suffered damage to electrical and cooling systems.
In light of that, and the sheer number of homes flooded, 747 out of less than 2,100, Mahon said, Oceanport may revisit its elevation requirements.
For now the borough is looking forward to Dec. 10 when he said, FEMA will announce the new advisory base flood elevation.
"It's important that that number be known if we are elevating our homes."
What's the going rate for a house raiser?
When OEM Director Buzz Baldanza surveyed residents at the Oceanport town hall meeting he found no one who had gotten an estimate of $25,000- $30,000. The majority of the audience said they were quoted in the neighborhood of $35,000.
But one resident said his estimate came in at $85,000.
"That is price gouging and you need to notify the police," Baldanza said.
But determining the difference between price gouging and an expensive job can be tough since raising a home comes with variables. Homes that are built on a slab are much more expensive to raise than one with a crawl space.
That's true for Gooseneck resident Terry Barth. His ranch, which was completely flooded, is 150 feet long, built on a slab and includes many angles as it sits in a crescent shape. One house raiser told Barth he didn't even want to do the job. Another quoted him at $118,000.
On Monday Barth planned to meet with Wolfe House Builders and Movers who are raising his neighbor's home, to get another quote. That's just the advice that Baldanza and National Flood Insurance Plan reps gave Oceanport residents last week.
For any storm related service, they said:
How am I going to pay for this?
There are a few channels through which the money might flow, but it will all come from the same source, the National Flood Insurance Program, which underwrites most flood insurance agencies.
(In order to participate in the NFIP, a community must agree to adopt and enforce sound floodplain management regulations and ordinances. In exchange for these practices, FEMA makes flood insurance available to homeowners, business owners and renters in these communities.)
You might see a check from your insurance company. You might see a check from the borough. What you need to know is if your home was flooded, Oceanport borough is applying for money on your behalf.
Here's how:
The borough estimates the cost to rebuild Oceanport at $367 million, plus untold losses in emotional currency. In the interest of preventing future losses, the town has hired a grant consultant, Millennium Strategies, to win grants available as a result of the disaster and others available annually through the state and FEMA.
If Oceanport secures these grants it will have money to pay for homes to be raised, demolished, fortified or moved. This would also pay for moving or raising borough hall. (Money comes from FEMA to the state, then to the borough, then to the homeowner).
"Depending on the program, a resident will have several options open to them," Baldanza told Patch. "The HMPG, FMA, SRL and RFC programs are the ones that would be available." See the attached PDF for more info about individual aspects of the grants.
This may help families whose flood insurance is not enough to cover the costs of those preventative measures (or who don't have flood insurance). Homeowners who go ahead with their home raising in the near future could see those costs reimbursed, but it's not guaranteed. Oceanport and flood officials cautioned residents not to raise until after the grant process closes. No word yet on when, but signs point to a long haul.
What is ICC and does it apply to me?
There might also be help for you above what your flood insurance company gives you if your home is damaged 50.1 percent, which puts it in the substantially damaged category.
This a determination the borough makes and when it does it could entitle you up to an additional $30,000 under what the government calls Increased Cost Compliance or ICC, meaning the cost required to bring your home up to floodplain standards required by law.
According to the NFIP, "ICC coverage is in addition to the coverage you receive to repair flood damages; however, the total payout on a policy may not exceed $250,000 for residential buildings and $500,000 for non-residential buildings."
So if you had $200,000 worth of damage to your home which was deemed substantially damaged, then you could get $30k to raise it, demolish or move it. You can read more about it here.
To get this substantial damage designation you need a letter from the town's engineer Bill White of Maser Consulting, which you will submit to your insurance company.
What happens if I already require the maximum payout of $250,000, but it's not enough?
"Flood insurance was not created to make you whole," said Christopher Toney of NIFP. "They just want to pay the policy limit."
But if your policy limit won't cover the cost to get your house raised out of the flood plain (or to have it demolished) you might still be eligible for the Hazard Mitigation Grant that the town's consultant is working toward.
By Shannon K. Winning
Little Sliver-Oceanport Patch
By a show of hands at a recent town hall meeting, more than 100 people in Oceanport are considering raising their homes that were flooded in superstorm Sandy.
Some have already met with contractors to do the work and gotten estimates. One resident said he is scheduled to raise his home on Monday.
If you are one of those homeowners weighing the decision, there are some questions you should ask first.
How high is high enough?
Mayor Michael Mahon told residents on Thursday that homes that were raised after the 1992 storm did not get water inside their living spaces.
Mahon said that's because, "Our ordinance is stricter than other communities."
Even then, Sandy's surge surpassed that previous 100-year storm mark by about 2 feet. And many of those raised homes still saw flooding in their garages, crawl spaces and suffered damage to electrical and cooling systems.
In light of that, and the sheer number of homes flooded, 747 out of less than 2,100, Mahon said, Oceanport may revisit its elevation requirements.
For now the borough is looking forward to Dec. 10 when he said, FEMA will announce the new advisory base flood elevation.
"It's important that that number be known if we are elevating our homes."
What's the going rate for a house raiser?
When OEM Director Buzz Baldanza surveyed residents at the Oceanport town hall meeting he found no one who had gotten an estimate of $25,000- $30,000. The majority of the audience said they were quoted in the neighborhood of $35,000.
But one resident said his estimate came in at $85,000.
"That is price gouging and you need to notify the police," Baldanza said.
But determining the difference between price gouging and an expensive job can be tough since raising a home comes with variables. Homes that are built on a slab are much more expensive to raise than one with a crawl space.
That's true for Gooseneck resident Terry Barth. His ranch, which was completely flooded, is 150 feet long, built on a slab and includes many angles as it sits in a crescent shape. One house raiser told Barth he didn't even want to do the job. Another quoted him at $118,000.
On Monday Barth planned to meet with Wolfe House Builders and Movers who are raising his neighbor's home, to get another quote. That's just the advice that Baldanza and National Flood Insurance Plan reps gave Oceanport residents last week.
For any storm related service, they said:
- Get more than one estimate.
- Take those estimates back to your insurance agent and ask, "Is this a reasonable cost," because if it's not, the insurance company may not pay for it.
How am I going to pay for this?
There are a few channels through which the money might flow, but it will all come from the same source, the National Flood Insurance Program, which underwrites most flood insurance agencies.
(In order to participate in the NFIP, a community must agree to adopt and enforce sound floodplain management regulations and ordinances. In exchange for these practices, FEMA makes flood insurance available to homeowners, business owners and renters in these communities.)
You might see a check from your insurance company. You might see a check from the borough. What you need to know is if your home was flooded, Oceanport borough is applying for money on your behalf.
Here's how:
The borough estimates the cost to rebuild Oceanport at $367 million, plus untold losses in emotional currency. In the interest of preventing future losses, the town has hired a grant consultant, Millennium Strategies, to win grants available as a result of the disaster and others available annually through the state and FEMA.
If Oceanport secures these grants it will have money to pay for homes to be raised, demolished, fortified or moved. This would also pay for moving or raising borough hall. (Money comes from FEMA to the state, then to the borough, then to the homeowner).
"Depending on the program, a resident will have several options open to them," Baldanza told Patch. "The HMPG, FMA, SRL and RFC programs are the ones that would be available." See the attached PDF for more info about individual aspects of the grants.
This may help families whose flood insurance is not enough to cover the costs of those preventative measures (or who don't have flood insurance). Homeowners who go ahead with their home raising in the near future could see those costs reimbursed, but it's not guaranteed. Oceanport and flood officials cautioned residents not to raise until after the grant process closes. No word yet on when, but signs point to a long haul.
What is ICC and does it apply to me?
There might also be help for you above what your flood insurance company gives you if your home is damaged 50.1 percent, which puts it in the substantially damaged category.
This a determination the borough makes and when it does it could entitle you up to an additional $30,000 under what the government calls Increased Cost Compliance or ICC, meaning the cost required to bring your home up to floodplain standards required by law.
According to the NFIP, "ICC coverage is in addition to the coverage you receive to repair flood damages; however, the total payout on a policy may not exceed $250,000 for residential buildings and $500,000 for non-residential buildings."
So if you had $200,000 worth of damage to your home which was deemed substantially damaged, then you could get $30k to raise it, demolish or move it. You can read more about it here.
To get this substantial damage designation you need a letter from the town's engineer Bill White of Maser Consulting, which you will submit to your insurance company.
What happens if I already require the maximum payout of $250,000, but it's not enough?
"Flood insurance was not created to make you whole," said Christopher Toney of NIFP. "They just want to pay the policy limit."
But if your policy limit won't cover the cost to get your house raised out of the flood plain (or to have it demolished) you might still be eligible for the Hazard Mitigation Grant that the town's consultant is working toward.
Sunday, December 2, 2012
Video: Hurricane Sandy Home Repair, Rebuilding & FEMA Public Info Session
Last Wednesday night, Middletown Township hosted a public information session at Middletown High School North(MHSN) which addressed rules and regulations regarding the repair and rebuilding of homes and businesses damaged by Superstorm Sandy. Township officials, along with officials from Union Beach and Keansburg, joined representatives from The Federal Emergency Management Agency(FEMA) and Small Business Association(SBA) to explain the storm recovery process and to answer questions from those affected by Hurricane Sandy.
The auditorium of MHSN was jammed packed and standing room only, filled with storm victims seeking assistance and wanting to know when they can return to there homes.
Judging from the length of the video, the meeting lasted over 3 hours and quite a bit was discussed. One area of interested that was discussed according to the Asbury Park Press was that residents who live along the bayshore, who lost there homes or significant portions there of, will be required to meet the new FEMA base flood elevation figure for the first floor living spaces (I believe 13ft) when the homes are rebuilt.
People affected by the storm can log onto the FEMA website, www.Region2Coastal.com for more information.
If you are planning to watching the video, you can save a little time by fast forwarding. The actual information session doesn't start until 10-15 minutes into the video.
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