The Town of Hempstead will have a “one-stop shop” to help the approximately the 1,000 residents still rebuilding after 2012’s Superstorm Sandy, Hempstead Town Supervisor Laura Gillen announced on Thursday.
“Too many families are still struggling with the nightmare of rebuilding after Superstorm Sandy,” Gillen said. “We are pleased to announce that starting on Monday residents and homeowners can seek assistance from the town and the state right here at Town Hall.”
Staff from the Governor’s Office of Storm Recovery will be on-site at Hempstead Town Hall as part of a new residential assistance program that will assist homeowners apply for permits and submit designs for rebuilding homes damaged by the storm.
Town officials are anticipating a surge in permit applications before the April 1, 2019 deadline for homeowners to receive funding from the NY Rising Housing Recovery Program, Gillen said.
The NY Rising Housing Recovery Program is a program operated by the Governor’s Office of Storm Recovery that facilitated home repairs, rehabilitation, mitigation and elevation of owners of sine family homes damaged by storms.
To avoid a last minute rush, the town’s communications office has been reconfigured to host the staff the Governor’s Office of Storm Recovery to help the process along.
(Photo by Rebecca Klar)
“The Town of Hempstead is here to say that we’re putting processes in place to make the final steps easy and painless as possible,” Gillen said.
The announcement follows the town board’s decision last month to waive building department permit fees and clerk fees for document replacement for residents preparing their homes from Sandy-related damage.
Residents seeking replacement of documents such as birth certificates, death certificates, marriage licenses and passports lost during the storm will not have to pay the clerk’s office for replacements.
Town Clerk Sylvia Cabana said she was proud of the initiative to make the process easier on those who have struggled.
Gillen said the road to recovery has been far too long for far too many.
“But today, we are here to say that the finish line is in sight,” Gillen said. “And the Town of Hempstead is here to help in whatever way we can.”
