November 19, 2013

GOV. MALLOY: STATE OPENS TWO ADDITIONAL SANDY RELIEF CENTERS IN MIDDLESEX AND NEW LONDON COUNTIES

New Intake Centers Supplement Four Previously Opened Centers in East Haven, Fairfield, Milford and Norwalk

(HARTFORD, CT) - Governor Dannel P. Malloy today announced that in addition to the four previously opened intake centers located in Fairfield and New London Counties that are assisting homeowners with disaster assistance for losses caused by Superstorm Sandy, the state Department of Housing (DOH) will open two new centers serving New London and Middlesex Counties on Wednesday, November 20.

The New London County center will be located in Groton at the town's Senior Center at 102 Newton Road. The center serving Middlesex County will be a mobile unit that will arrange to meet homeowners at an agreed upon location. In addition to serving residents of Middlesex County, the mobile unit will also travel to assist elderly and disabled residents who live all along Connecticut's coastline and cannot travel to the intake centers. Residents interested in arranging a meeting with the mobile unit should call the program's toll-free hotline at 1-866-272-1976.

"As part of the rebuilding process, our focus continues to be on connecting Connecticut residents impacted by the storm with the resources they need," Governor Malloy said. "With the addition of these two centers, we are making it even easier for residents, including our elderly and disabled, to meet face-to-face with our counselors and get the answers to any questions they may have on the application process."

All of the Owner Occupied Rehabilitation and Reconstruction intake centers operate Mondays through Fridays from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m.to 3:30 p.m. Homeowners are encouraged to call the program's toll-free hotline at 1-866-272-1976 on Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. to schedule an appointment or for more information. The centers will be closed on Thanksgiving weekend (Thursday, November 28 through Saturday, November 30), Christmas Day, and New Year's Day.

In addition to the new Groton location and the Middlesex County mobile unit, the four previously opened intake centers are located in:

"In the first few weeks since opening, our four intake centers have proven a great resource for homeowners," Housing Commissioner Evonne Klein said. "Our staff has had over 540 appointments, and another 118 have been scheduled in the next few weeks. Application activity has been brisk as well, with 236 already submitted and another 316 in progress."

The Owner Occupied Rehabilitation and Rebuilding Program, administered by DOH, is funded through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) program. It is open to residents in Fairfield, New London, New Haven, and Middlesex counties and the Mashantucket Pequot tribal area.

Assistance ranging from $10,000 to $150,000 is available to replace and rehabilitate homes, implement mitigation measures, and to make homes more resilient to future storm damage. Eligible expenses are those not covered by insurance, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or any other sources of funding.

Last year, Connecticut was awarded $71.82 million from HUD to address the critical needs of residents, businesses, and communities affected by Sandy. As part of the state's action plan for that funding, $30 million was to help homeowners repair damage. The state has also allocated $26 million for the Multifamily Assistance Program to rehabilitate and rebuild low and moderate-income multifamily homes.

Property owners should visit the state's official CT Recovers website at ctrecovers.ct.gov to learn more about either program.

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For Immediate Release: November 19, 2013

Facebook: Office of Governor Dannel P. Malloy