Christie Administration to Host Rental Housing Fair for Residents Displaced by Super storm Sandy

May 17th Event Will Discuss Available Housing and Permanent Housing Options

TRENTON, N.J. – May 15, 2013 – (RealEstateRama) — For the second consecutive month, the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (DCA) will host a rental fair to assist New Jersey’s most vulnerable individuals and families displaced by Superstorm Sandy. The Rental Housing Fair will be held from 2 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Friday, May 17th at the Atlantic City Convention Center. Attendees will have an opportunity to meet with prospective landlords and real estate agents on-site to discuss available housing, review listings and discuss permanent housing options.

“While we have made real progress in New Jersey’s recovery, there are still families who remain uprooted and who are struggling to find homes in or near their communities which have been devastated by Superstorm Sandy,” said New Jersey Department of Community Affairs Commissioner Richard E. Constable, III. “The DCA is pleased to offer this rental fair resource to help displaced families get back on track.”

Aside from landlords, real estate agents and property owners, the DCA’s Section 8 housing staff and American Red Cross will also be on hand, as well as the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency, which will show attendees how to utilize the NJ Housing Resource Center that it administers. The Housing Resource Center is a free service at www.NJHRC.gov for people in search of affordable housing and for landlords who are looking to provide housing. The website is frequently updated and FEMA and relief workers use it daily to help Sandy survivors locate housing.

Attendees will also learn about Special Admission Section 8 housing vouchers and have the opportunity to apply on site. In December 2012, the Christie Administration set aside 1,000 Special Admissions vouchers, which are provided through the DCA-administered Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher program. They are designed to help low-income residents, who cannot return to their homes because of damage caused by Sandy, move into permanent housing. Funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the vouchers, which average approximately $9,840 per year per household, will total $9.84 million.

To date, 661 Special Admissions vouchers have been issued to eligible households. Another 339 remain to be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis.

To be eligible, applicants must have been displaced from their primary residence by Superstorm Sandy; be registered with FEMA and deemed eligible for FEMA rental assistance; have a gross household income that does not exceed 40% of area median income; and be in this country legally. Applications are being accepted from households that are referred by a collaborating agency such as FEMA, the American Red Cross, and Legal Service of New Jersey.

Registration is recommended for the Rental Housing Fair but is not required. To register, please call (609) 633-6606.