NY Rising Program Ends Are Approaching

The Governor’s Office of Storm Recovery’s (GOSR) NY Rising Housing Recovery Program has announced a final notice of deadlines for funding and completion of construction projects. The program includes the NY Rising Homeowner Program for Single Family Housing, the NY Rising Rental Property Program, Affordable Rental Opportunity, the Interim Mortgage Assistance (IMA) Program and the Optional Bulkhead Program.

In August, the Long Beach City Council and state senator Todd Kaminsky sent a letter to NY Rising requesting deadline extensions for homeowners along the city’s bayfront to allow more time for bulkhead permitting and construction. With that request, the city asked that the program be re-opened to Long Beach homeowners along the bayside so they may rebuild their bulkhead after cost estimates for the North Shore Bulkheading project exceeded available funding through NY Rising’s Community Reconstruction Plan.

NY Rising issued extensions for its programs, including for bulkheading, and has declared this the final notice of deadlines for funding and completion of construction. Despite attempts, the announcement did not include a re-opening of the Optional Bulkhead Program to Long Beach homeowners that are not currently in the program.

"Many South Shore residents are still in the rebuilding process at no fault of their own, and it would have been unfair to close the door on them prematurely," said Kaminsky. "The city and I worked together to ensure that that they will have the time they need to compete their arduous recovery projects."

Letters from NY Rising detailing program changes have been sent to participating homeowners that have not completed one or more of their projects and/or have not fully closed out of the program. Residents still in these programs must file the necessary paperwork with their NY Rising caseworkers before the deadlines in order to receive their award.

For questions, homeowners may contact their caseworker directly or call 1-844-9NYRISING. Assistance is also available from the City’s Residential Rebuilding Assistance Program, at 516-705-7222.

"The city will continue do everything in its power to make these processes as seamless and stress-free as possible," said City Council President Len Torres. "Though we are grateful to NY Rising for extending the deadlines for homeowners in these programs, we still believe that the optional bulkhead program should be re-opened for Long Beach homeowners to rebuild their bulkhead along the bayside."

Here's the final schedule for NY Rising programs:

For participants in the Home Repair Program, the revised schedule is as follows:

• June 1, 2018- You must schedule an INTERIM OR MIDPOINT INSPECTION to confirm that your home repair project is in progress.
• December 31, 2018- You must schedule a FINAL INSPECTION to confirm that your home repair project is complete.
• April 1, 2019- You must complete the CLOSEOUT PROCESS detailed in the Closeout and Final Payment Guidance FAQ.

For participants in the Mandatory Elevation Program, the revised schedule is as follows:

• March 1, 2018- You must schedule a RISK ASSESSMENT OR SURVEY to identify all environmental site hazards impacting your project.
• April 1, 2018- You must submit all ELEVATION DESIGN DOCUMENTS (elevation pre-cert, along with plans/permits) for your project. (If you are requesting any changes to the scope of work outlined in your award, you must submit all construction clarifications.)
• September 1, 2018- You must schedule an INTERIM OR MIDPOINT INSPECTION to confirm that your elevation project is in progress.
• June 1, 2019- You must schedule a FINAL INSPECTION to confirm that your elevation project is complete.
• December 31, 2019- You must complete the CLOSEOUT PROCESS detailed in the Closeout and Final Payment Guidance FAQ.

For participants in the Optional Elevation Program, the revised schedule is as follows:

• March 1, 2018- You must schedule a RISK ASSESSMENT OR SURVEY to identify all environmental site hazards impacting your project.
• June 1, 2018- You must schedule an INTERIM OR MIDPOINT INSPECTION to confirm that your elevation project is in progress.
• December 31, 2018- You must schedule a FINAL INSPECTION to confirm that your elevation project is complete.
• April 1, 2019- You must complete the CLOSEOUT PROCESS detailed in the Closeout and Final Payment Guidance FAQ.

For participants in the Reconstruction Program, the revised schedule is as follows:

• September 1, 2018- You must schedule an INTERIM OR MIDPOINT INSPECTION to confirm that your reconstruction project is in progress.
• June 1, 2019- You must schedule a FINAL INSPECTION to confirm that your reconstruction project is complete.
• December 31, 2019- You must complete the CLOSEOUT PROCESS detailed in the Closeout and Final Payment Guidance FAQ.

For participants in the Optional Bulkhead Program, the revised schedule is as follows:

• December 31, 2017- You must submit a DEC permit for your project. (If you are requesting any changes to the scope of work outlined in your award, you must submit all construction clarifications.)
• June 1, 2018- You must schedule an INTERIM OR MIDPOINT INSPECTION to confirm that your bulkhead project is in progress.
• September 1, 2018- You must schedule a FINAL INSPECTION to confirm that your bulkhead project is complete.
• December 31, 2018- You must complete the CLOSEOUT PROCESS detailed in the Closeout and Final Payment Guidance FAQ.

For participants in the Interim Mortgage Assistance Program, the revised schedule is as follows:

• June 1, 2018- You must COMPLETE YOUR APPLICATION to the IMA Program.
• December 2018- You must REOCCUPY YOUR HOME. Mortgage payments after December 2018 will not be reimbursed.

Photo: Patch