For continued rental assistance, survivors must re-certify

NEW YORK – The Federal Emergency Management Agency understands that some survivors may need additional temporary rental assistance to help them achieve their permanent housing goals.

Most eligible applicants initially received four months of rental assistance and may be eligible for additional help, if their damaged residence is still not livable.

Applicants with an ongoing need for temporary rental assistance who have signed a valid lease agreement should:

• Complete the “Declaration for Continuing Need for Rental Assistance” they received in the mail with all the applicable information and mail it back to FEMA at the address printed on the form.

• Applicants will need to provide information of both pre-disaster and current expenses that are applicable to their households, such as pay stubs to verify income.

• They also must provide a copy of their lease and the name and phone number of their landlord. 

• Applicants who don’t have the form should contact FEMA’s helpline at 800-621-3362 (7-1-1 Relay or Video Relay Services are available) or (TTY) 800-462-7585.

The review process allows FEMA to be a good steward of taxpayer dollars by requiring applicants to demonstrate they have continuing housing needs.

FEMA recognizes this is a difficult time for Hurricane Sandy survivors and that some families need additional temporary assistance to assist them in their recovery. Therefore, families are encouraged to return to their repaired homes or to affordable housing as quickly as possible.

Applicants with any questions or concerns regarding temporary rental assistance should contact FEMA’s helpline, 800-621-3362.                                 

For more information on New York’s disaster recovery, visit www.fema.gov/SandyNY, www.twitter.com/FEMASandy, www.facebook.com/FEMASandy and www.fema.gov/blog.

FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.

Recovery assistance is available without regard to race, color, religion, nationality, sex, age, disability, English proficiency or economic status. If you or someone you know has been discriminated against, call FEMA toll-free at 800-621-FEMA (3362). For TTY call 800-462-7585.