Deadline To Apply For Sandy Grant Programs is Aug. 1

Story by Christopher Sheldon

Middletown residents whose homes were damaged by Hurricane Sandy must apply for two housing-related grants as soon as possible.

The deadline for the Reconstruction, Rehabilitation, Elevation and Mitigation, or RREM, program and the Homeowner Resettlement program is set to expire on Thursday, Aug. 1. 

The RREM program provides up to $150,000 for repairs to homes that were damaged during the storm. The resettlement program provides $10,000 to storm victims who pledge to remain in their home county for three years. Both programs were limited to homeowners whose primary residences were damaged.

The initial application period for the grant programs ended on June 30, so any applications received between then and Aug. 1 will be considered after all the applications from the initial application period have been processed, including those that were placed on the wait list, according to Rumson's borough web site. 

"People on the wait list and people who applied after June 30th will be considered for a possible grant award when additional federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Disaster Recovery funding becomes available, which is expected this fall," the web site states.

Homeowners who still wish to apply can do so online at www.renewjerseystronger.org, by phone at 1-855-SANDYHM (1-855-726-3946), or in person at any one of the Housing Recovery Centers open in each of the nine counties most affected by Sandy.