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Assemblyman Phil Goldfeder
City Hall, NY – Families impacted by Sandy are facing shoulder crushing debt due to the lack of urgency and delays of the NYC Build it Back program, Assemblyman Phil Goldfeder (D-Rockaway) testified March 31st at the City Council's oversight hearing on the status of the program.
“It has been 17 months since Sandy devastated our homes in southern Queens and Rockaway and while many families have been working hard to cover the costs of repairs and rebuild, the city is not doing their part,” said Assemblyman Phil Goldfeder. “We should not have to wait weeks, months or years to get an answer from Build It Back. I want to thank Council Members Mark Treyger and Eric Ulrich for holding today's oversight hearing and I particularly applaud Mayor de Blasio for taking the initiative to get this program moving and get assistance to our families immediately.”
My district has seen nearly seven thousand households apply for the Build it Back program—this accounts for over forty percent of the program’s total number of applicants’ city-wide. To date, not even a single resident has received the assistance they so desperately need and deserve, Goldfeder noted in his testimony to the committee.
The Committees on Recovery and Resiliency, Housing and Buildings, and Environmental Protection held a joint hearing today on the City’s Build It Back (BIB) program, which is designed to help repair or rebuild the homes of City residents that were damaged or destroyed by Superstorm Sandy. However, nearly a year since the program commenced, homeowners still have not received any funding or assistance.
“No more excuses, every family should get the resources they need to allow them to move on and rebuild their lives,” said Assemblyman Phil Goldfeder. “No one currently waiting on Build it Back should have to see another Sandy anniversary pass before they finally get the help that they need. I strongly urge the City to expedite this process immediately.”
Build It Back is funded by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) program which passes through the City’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and is overseen by the NYC Housing Recovery Office and administered by the Department Housing Preservation and Development (HPD). The program offers homeowners one or more of the following options for their properties: repair, repair and elevate reimbursement for out-of-pocket previous repairs, rebuild, and acquisition.
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A copy of Assemblyman Goldfeder’s testimony is below:
March 31, 2014
Committee on Recovery and Resiliency
City Hall
260 Broadway
New York, NY 10007
Re: Testimony by Assemblyman Phil Goldfeder
My name is Assemblyman Phil Goldfeder and I represent the 23rd Assembly District which includes the Queens neighborhoods of Ozone Park, Howard Beach, Lindenwood, Broad Channel, Hamilton Beach and Rockaway. I am also a lifelong resident of the Rockaways and am raising my two young children there with my wife.
First, I would like to acknowledge the New York City Council and the Committee on Recovery and Resiliency for its efforts on Sandy recovery and particularly for holding this oversight hearing on the Build it Back program. I would like to especially recognize Chairman Mark Treyger and my colleagues Council Members Eric Ulrich and Donovan Richards for their tireless advocacy in the City Council on behalf of those affected.
As you may know, my district includes some of the areas in New York City that were hardest hit by Superstorm Sandy. Roughly eighty-five percent of the homes in my Queens district were destroyed by either flood or fire during Sandy, including my own home. On October 29, 2012, we witnessed the greatest natural disaster to befall our city in recorded history. No one can forget the images of homes burned down to their foundations in Breezy Point and Belle Harbor; flood waters engulfing Cross Bay Boulevard in Broad Channel and lapping at the Belt Parkway in Howard Beach; the narrow streets of Hamilton Beach plunged into darkness; or the twisted and broken sections of the Boardwalk thrust onto residents’ cars and homes. These were the images broadcast around the world that broke our hearts and inspired our greatest heroes to action.
Today, seventeen months have passed since that day in October of 2012 and the constituents of my district continue to face the challenges of rebuilding their homes and their lives. While some still wrestle with their insurance company or work to appeal the amount FEMA did or did not provide, for many in my district the Build it Back program is the last major source of assistance that will give them their lives back and allow them to completely recover.
In total, my district has seen nearly seven thousand households apply for the Build it Back program. This accounts for over forty percent of the program’s total number of applicants city-wide. To date, not even a single resident has received the assistance they so desperately need and deserve. Any program of this scope is bound to experience delays in implementation but this is unacceptable. The Build it Back program as it currently exists has been ineffectual in providing needed assistance to my constituents and this problem must be addressed immediately.
The most significant issue that I would like to bring to the Committee’s attention is the classification of priority categories currently used by Build it Back. Many of my working and middle class constituents have reached out to my office to say that their household income is considered too high to be considered as a Priority One. Often, these are families where the husband is a firefighter and the wife is a teacher; or in which an elderly parent just barely making ends meet on Social Security and a small pension lives with her adult daughter earning enough to maintain the both of them. These households are families of firefighters, police officers, hospital workers, municipal workers, and other public servants who are classed out of seeing any assistance in the coming months because they earn "too much" to be in the Priority One category. Meanwhile these families shoulder crushing debt as they wait to see Build it Back help them rebuild.
As you know, the use of priority categories is intended to meet federal guidelines established by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development that prioritize lower income families based on the calculated Area Median Income, or AMI. I understand the need to first assist those neediest families but on behalf of all of my constituents, I urge the City Council and the Mayor to ensure that the Build it Back program is fully-funded and that all households affected by Sandy see assistance from the program.
The announcement made by Mayor de Blasio this past weekend in Rockaway that the city will commit additional funds to help fund rebuilding and reimbursements to second and third priority category applicants is a step in the right direction. I applaud the Mayor and pledge my support and assistance in any way so that these funds reach families in need, regardless of income. Further, I commend Senator Schumer for securing the federal funding necessary for the city to assist our families.
The system of providing assistance by priority category recalls another problem with the Build it Back program that I would like to see addressed and that problem is the need for urgency.
When the program began accepting applications in early summer of last year, applicants were told that they had until September 30th, 2013 to apply for Build it Back. My office worked tirelessly to get the word out, making calls to constituents and sending out mailers reminding people to apply. I even went door-to-door in certain neighborhoods urging affected residents to apply before the deadline. Then, the deadline was moved back to October 31st, after the first anniversary of Sandy and applicants in the Priority One category were told to expect progress in the beginning of 2014.
As of mid-March of this year, according to Build it Back, only two percent of the applicants in my district have finally selected their provided option for rebuilding or reimbursement. After seventeen months, we need to see the applications move forward. No one currently waiting on Build it Back should have to see another Sandy anniversary pass before they finally get the help that they need. I strongly urge the City to expedite the process and see to it that those who need assistance receive it without any further delay.
Lastly, I would like to speak on the importance of communicating with members of the community. My district is blessed with countless civic associations, clubs, non-profits, religious groups and many other active organizations. Their desire to make their respective communities the best possible place to live, work and raise a family is truly admirable and I am fortunate to work closely with these groups. Often I hear these groups tell me that they feel the city does not listen to them, especially regarding Build it Back. I have been told by civic groups and individuals alike that in dealing with the two Build it Back intake centers in my district or in calling the Build it Back hotline, many applicants' concerns are not addressed or their questions are not answered with accurate information. Other constituents have informed me that they have waited months to hear back from the program only to be told that they were missing some form that they should have submitted months ago.
Recovering from Sandy has been a difficult process for its victims, but it should not be made worse by bureaucracy and misinformation. The applicants to the Build it Back program should be able to speak to a live person who will understand their concerns and provide them accurate information--in a timely manner. As I previously stated, the families waiting for assistance from Build it Back are working and middle class families. For them, recovery from Sandy has been a full time job. It should not be like this and it does not have to be. I urge the City and the Office of Housing Recovery to take the necessary steps to cut the red tape strangling our families dealing with the Build it Back program. I also recommend that the program continue its work in reaching out to local civic organizations to provide accurate information and to take to heart the concerns they address.
The recovery from Superstorm Sandy has been a long process involving the work of many organizations both public and private. I am thankful for all of the help that we have received during this past year and a half. We have come a long way. Homes are being rebuilt in every neighborhood in southern Queens and across Rockaway. Beach 116th Street; and Rockaway Beach Boulevard as well as Cross Bay Boulevard are once again thriving residential and commercial areas in Rockaway Howard Beach and Broad Channel. Although the Boardwalk hasn't yet been built (subject for another hearing), our beaches last summer were once again teeming with bathers from all parts of the city and beyond. This summer we expect even more.
There is much work left to be done and I have submitted this testimony today at the City Council Oversight Hearing to provide, on behalf of my constituents, some of the concerns and recommendations that I believe will ensure that we continue to recover and that our communities come back stronger than ever.
Sincerely,
Phillip Goldfeder
Member of Assembly
23rd District
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