The Mayor’s Office of Housing Recovery, in partnership with Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams and Coney Island City Council Member Mark Treyger, chair of the Committee on Recovery and Resiliency, made an appeal to Brooklyn landlords to provide available apartments to Build it Back homeowners needing to temporarily relocate.
The appeal comes as Build it Back, the agency charged with working with homeowners whose dwellings were destroyed in the wake of Superstorm Sandy, is entering negotiations with a new Temporary Housing Service provider, which will offer relocation resources to residents of the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island.
Together, these temporary housing initiatives will allow the program to continue to accelerate construction as it moves aggressively toward Mayor Bill de Blasio’s goal of completion by the end of 2016. Build it Back has now raised more than 100 homes citywide, started construction on 2,441, and finished construction on 1,496 — including 815 starts and 503 completes in Brooklyn.
Brooklyn landlords interested in helping can call Build it Back at (212) 615-8329. All landlords will be reimbursed up to the rental amounts specified in the chart below. In the past month, 16 landlords have stepped forward citywide.
To broaden its reach, Build it Back is partnering with the Brooklyn Borough President’s Office of Faith-Based and Clergy Initiatives to appeal to congregations throughout the borough. They will be making specialized outreach to houses of worship in affected communities, including Bergen Beach, Brighton Beach, Canarsie, Coney Island, Flatlands, Georgetown, Gerritsen Beach, Gravesend, Manhattan Beach, Marine Park, Mill Basin, Red Hook, Sea Gate, and Sheepshead Bay.
Amy Peterson, director of the Mayor’s Office of Housing Recovery, said the mayor set the target of completing the program by the end of the year. “In the past few months we‘ve closed out our case management process, put all homeowners in design, and started many in construction – including 815 construction starts and 503 construction completions in Brooklyn. To bring the program to the finish line, we are taking a multi-pronged approach to providing temporary housing for homeowners. Today, we appealed to Brooklyn landlords to step up and help their neighbors,” she said
Adams said noted his “We are One Brooklyn” initiative and now is the time to look out for neighbors in need.
“For victimized homeowners still looking to recover from the wrath of Superstorm Sandy, it is critical that we find landlords willing to open their apartments — and their hearts — for this greater rebuilding effort. I am committed to working with Build it Back to assist in this search, including specialized outreach to our faith community.”
Treyger noted many New Yorkers displayed a true compassion and generosity during and after Superstorm Sandy in doing their part to help their neighbors.
“Now, we are appealing to New Yorkers again as we make a final push to finish rebuilding homes damaged by Sandy’s devastation. It is imperative that we find housing opportunities for storm victims still in need of temporary relocation,” he said.
“New Yorkers should not have to worry about where they will live because their homes are damaged as a result of a natural disaster” said Canarsie State Senator Roxanne J. Persaud. “I join the Mayor’s Office of Housing Recovery, Borough President Adams and Council Member Mark Treyger in the commitment to ensuring that the Build it Back Temporary Relocation Assistance Program continues to provide these homeowners with the assistance they deserve. The priority of every public servant must be to help New York’s vulnerable in their time of need.”
These new initiatives, supported by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, build off programs put in place in the past year as part of Mayor de Blasio’s broader Sandy recovery overhaul.
