Renters should complete and submit SBA applications

NEW YORK – New York renters may be eligible for additional grants from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. To find out if renters qualify, they must complete and submit their disaster loan application from the U.S. Small Business Administration.

No one has to accept an SBA disaster loan. But information provided on that loan application may be used to help determine eligibility for a variety of FEMA programs that can help renters rebuild their lives.

“Renters are tightly woven into the fabric of New York and their recovery is crucial to the city’s recovery,” said Michael F. Byrne, FEMA’s federal coordinating officer in New York. “Many  renters have registered with FEMA and many of them are receiving help now.”

Renters, like homeowners, may be eligible for FEMA’s Other Needs Assistance, designed to help survivors with uninsured or underinsured necessary expenses and serious needs caused by the disaster. It’s important for survivors to understand that they must complete and return their SBA loan application in order to be eligible for Other Needs Assistance grants.

These grants can be used for:

• Replacement or repair of necessary personal property lost or damaged in the disaster, household items such as room furnishings or appliances, and tools and equipment required by the self-employed for their jobs
• Primary vehicles and approved second vehicles damaged by the disaster
• Disaster-related medical and dental expenses
• Disaster-related funeral and burial expenses

Renters who do want an SBA loan may be eligible for a loan up to $40,000 for personal property losses.

The deadline to apply for FEMA assistance or an SBA disaster loan is March 29, 2013.

A simple way to complete the application is online, using the SBA’s electronic loan application. Go to https://DisasterLoan.SBA.gov/ELA. More information is available by calling the SBA Disaster Customer Service Center toll-free number, 800-659-2955 (TTY 800-877-8339). Assistance is also available by sending an email to DisasterCustomerService@sba.gov or by visiting sba.gov.

Individuals can register with FEMA online at DisasterAssistance.gov or via smartphone or tablet at m.fema.gov. Applicants may also call 800-621-3362 (Voice, 7-1-1/Relay) or TTY 800-462-7585. The phone lines operate 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. EDT, seven days a week.