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Urban Communities Overshadowed in State's Sandy Recovery Efforts Today, the Christie Administration hosted its second public hearing on New Jersey's Substantial Amendment to the Sandy Action Plan. At the hearing, Housing and Community Development Network of New Jersey Senior Policy Coordinator Arnold Cohen issued the following statement: "Our members are on the front lines in New Jersey communities, working with people every day to help them recover from the devastation of Superstorm Sandy. We appreciate that the State is hosting three public hearings so that they may learn firsthand the concerns of the people, and craft a plan that addresses our ongoing housing needs.” "In the Ironbound neighborhood of Newark there are homeowners who experienced severe damage. Over a year later many of them feel forgotten and are still waiting for answers to see if they will receive funding. The second round of federal recovery funding must have great transparency along with a clear and thorough set of guidelines. There should also be an assessment of why the rejection rate for several housing programs was higher for minorities. Data has shown that 35 percent of African-Americans and 18 percent of Latinos were rejected compared to 13.6 percent of Caucasians. As a result, the needs of individuals in urban areas are not being addressed to the extent that they are in some shore communities.” "We need a recovery that works for all Sandy survivors, from those who had flood damage in urban communities along our rivers to those living down the shore along the ocean and bay. Thousands of Sandy survivors have been unfairly denied, treated badly, and left to fend for themselves in a bureaucratic nightmare of the state's making. They are counting on the Christie administration to keep the promises made after the storm hit and hope to have their faith renewed in government. That starts by making improvements based on feedback directly from survivors and those in the field working to get them back into their homes." The Housing and Community Development Network of New Jersey is the statewide association of more than 250 affordable housing and community development corporations, individuals and other organizations that support the creation of housing and economic opportunities for low- and moderate-income New Jerseyans. For more information on the Network, visit www.hcdnnj.org. For more information: Nina Arce |
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