City recovery program is making strides in bringing people back home
The Broad Channel home of John and Jayme Galimi before and after Build it Back program repaired it. The Galimis' house is one of 99 reportedly rebuilt by the program in 2014.
On Jan. 1, 2014 the city’s Build it Back program had started zero renovations on Sandy-ravaged houses and sent out zero reimbursement checks.
More than a year later, construction has started on more than 331 homes across Queens, and finished 99, and borough residents have received more than $15.2 million in reimbursements for work they completed on their own house, according to Build it Back officials.
“It’s very clear that people see progress,” Amy Peterson, director of the Mayor’s Office of Housing Recovery, said in an interview with the Queens Chronicle. “People are getting their questions answered.”
But don’t take her word for it.
Elected and civic officials praised the program’s drastic improvement that began shortly after Peterson took it over in March.
“I have very high regards for Amy Peterson,” said Dan Mundy Jr., president of the Broad Channel Civic Association. “She has made a lot of significant changes to the program, and a lot of them have come out of Broad Channel.”
One of the changes include the city agreeing to help homeowners rebuilding their house through the program with paying for rent in a temporary home.
“One of the reasons people might not do it is oh who will pay for my rent,” Mundy said, adding that scenario was seen frequently across the island. “That’s another effective change.”
He also said officials within the program have been better at working with the community on recovery needs.
“Rudy S. Giuliani has been a huge asset,” Mundy said, referring to the borough director at the Mayor’s Office of Housing Recovery Operations. “He’s very quick at getting back to you via email. You need that type of person here.”
Assemblyman Phil Goldfeder (D-Rockaway Park) said he has seen “more progress in the last six to nine months than in the 18 months prior.”
He also echoed Mundy’s remarks that program officials are communicative with the community.
“They’ve been very aggressive about their community outreach,” he said. “Amy has done a great job of making every family understand the issues.”
The Build it Back program started in June 2013 by then-Mayor Bloomberg. It got off to a rocky start, with many homeowners saying they were finding it difficult to get the assistance they needed.
Peterson said the program was able to become better by working closer with the homeowners affected by Sandy.
“I think it had more to do with how we were providing the services and how we were communicating with the homeowners,” she said.
But Peterson says there’s more to be done.
She said that in 2015, she seeks to tackle “the construction and design capacity” in neighborhoods throughout the city.
Build it Back is also seeking to add a new borough construction manager, who will be selected through a bidding process and tasked with completing a bundle of houses at once rather than one at a time.
State Sen. Joe Addabbo Jr. (D-Howard Beach) said he believes one of the early challenges for Build it Back was its small workforce.
“I think Build it Back was burdened by so many people who need assistance,” he said.
Addabbo, whose district office hosts the program every Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., added he hopes that “over time we’ll see more progress.”
Mundy agreed with Addabbo.
“I still do not think the program is at a point where we can rest,” he said. “It’s a lot more complicated than anyone in charge would’ve thought.”
Mundy said one of the main problems facing Broad Channel residents is a lack of houses being elevated to prevent flooding.
Despite its remaining challenges, Build it Back has succeeded in bringing one Broad Channel family back to their home.
John and Jayme Galimi moved back into their home shortly before Christmas, according to a YouTube video uploaded by the Mayor’s Office.
Mayor de Blasio visited the Galimis’ house in October to announce that the number of renovations started through Build it Back had drastically increased.
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