Community Corner

Finding Short- and Long-Term Housing After Sandy

The City of New York has created a portal with a pool of apartments in privately owned and managed rental buildings for NY'ers displaced from their homes due to the storm

The aftermath of Hurricane Sandy has created many problems for New Yorkers, one of the biggest being housing.

Following this storm, may were left homeless, unable to return to their home on either a short-term or permanent bases. This has all happened in a housing market (NYC) that already is tight and where vacancies remain low.

But the City has created a hub that not only pools all the available housing stock into one place but also will help Sandy victims identify housing on their own. It's called the NYC Housing Recovery Portal.

Find out what's happening in Bed-Stuywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The City of New York, along with New York State and the Federal government, have joined with the City’s major real estate industry associations and collected a pool of apartments for short- or long-term lease in all five boroughs for New Yorkers who have been displaced from their homes due to the storm.

While the majority of the apartments are income restricted -- primarily for low- and moderate-income households -- a limited number are market-rate apartments. 

Find out what's happening in Bed-Stuywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

After reviewing the housing options available through NYC Housing Recovery Portal, those New Yorkers who would like further assistance from the City to find housing will be able to complete a full application on the site.

The supply of this housing is limited to a first-come, first-served basis, but the City is working to expand the supply of available housing units as more housing units become available.

In most cases, individuals and households must first register with and be certified by FEMA before they qualify for short- and long-term housing assistance. If you did not qualify for FEMA assistance, but you believe you are not able to stay in or return to your home due to the storm, you may still register with the City to find housing, though your options may be more limited.

If you were impacted by Hurricane Sandy, please make sure you register with FEMA before using this site. You can register with FEMA by calling (800) 621-3362, visiting the FEMA website, or going to a NYC Restoration Center.

Urgent Housing Needs

If your home has been damaged by the storm and you need immediate shelter or relocation assistance, you can visit a NYC Restoration Center.  The Centers are open 7 days a week from 8:00 AM - 8:00 PM. Call 311 or click here for Restoration Center locations. If you need immediate housing assistance after the Restoration Centers have closed at 8:00 PM, call 311.

If you need  temporary relief from the cold during the day you can visit a Warming Center or call 311 for Warming Center locations. If you think you have hypothermia or another life-threatening condition, call 911.

 


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here