The association says it has received a $500,000 grant from the National Association of Realtors’ Realtors Relief Foundation, or RRF, to help impacted residents with their mortgage, rent, or hotel expenses. Households are eligible for up to $2,000 each. Applicants must be either U.S. citizens or otherwise legal, full-time residents with their primary residence in Orange, Dutchess, Putnam, Rockland, and Westchester Counties.
It comes about a month after more than 8 inches of rain inundated the region in just a couple days, displacing residents and damaging homes and roads alike. Speaking in Goshen Tuesday, interim CEO Jana Currier says the association’s more than 13,000 members have been helping get the word out, and they’ve already received a number of applications.
“Residents impacted can go to www.hgar.com – that’s www.hgar.com – and complete the online application," says Currier. "The grant from the Realtors Relief Fund will cover up to $2,000 either for one month’s mortgage, or one’s month rent for a new lease, if a tenant had to move, or hotel expenses for a homeowner or renter who was displaced.”
Currier adds applicants should be prepared to provide receipts and/or proof of a new lease. From application to check, she says the whole process takes about four weeks.
The funding comes as state and local officials continue to seek relief for residents and businesses in the Hudson Valley. President Biden approved disaster declarations to unlock public assistance from FEMA for municipalities across New York, including in Orange, Dutchess, Putnam, and Rockland Counties – but assistance for individuals is still up in the air.
Orange County was among the hardest hit by the floods, with an estimated $75 million in damages to public property and infrastructure. Republican County Executive Steve Neuhaus says they’re making progress on cleanups and repairs – for example, the Popolopen Bridge on Route 9W in the town Highlands reopened last week – but homeowners have largely been picking up the pieces on their own, some without insurance.
The Highlands area suffered significant damage. Neuhaus says nine houses in the village of Highland Falls were destroyed, and another 84 saw “catastrophic damage.” He says the costs increase by the day.
“These houses are developing mold, they had four feet of water [in them]. They have washer and dryers and basic living things, like refrigerators and toilets, that have not been replaced. And they might not have the actual capacity to do it themselves," he explains. "So $2,000 right off the bat can get you a down payment at Lowes, and get you on a payment plan until you can figure out how to do this, wondering if your insurance company’s gonna cover you or not.”
Neuhaus says FEMA officials have toured the local damage and seen a registry of impacted residents. New York Governor Kathy Hochul recently announced a $3 million fund to help homeowners in Orange County, with grants of up to $50,000, but Neuhaus says those funds are restricted to lower-income households more likely to be renters.
He’s also hoping the state will work to bridge the gap left over from FEMA’s public assistance, so municipalities aren’t left with the bill.
“Right now, if you’re looking at the village of Highland Falls, or the town of Highlands, when they have to borrow money – which, they went out last night to borrow money to get repairs – they are getting only reimbursed 75 percent for what they’re paying," says Neuhaus. "So, when you’re talking about $2 million, that 25 percent that’s left out there, that’s not being matched by the state, is a huge gap for them to fill.”
That said, Neuhaus says every little bit counts, and the RRF grant will give residents some breathing room. Likewise, Democratic State Senator James Skoufis of the 42nd district considers it a “life raft” for Hudson Valley families. For Currier? She says it’s rewarding for the association to help its local community – but also its realtors, some of whom are in the same boat.
“It’s just a feel-good," she smiles. "I mean, if you can be there to help your neighbor, and be part of the team that actually knocks on their door and gives them a check for $2,000, like, in the next week or two, it’s amazing.”
The RRF was founded in response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks in 2001. The Hudson Gateway Association of Realtors represents over 13,000 realtors in Westchester, Putnam, Rockland, and Orange Counties, as well as in Manhattan and the Bronx.
