Mayor Bill de Blasio speaks to guests during a July 17 press conference in Canarsie focusing on the recent overhaul of the Build it Back program. Currently, the program has begun construction on 44 homes in Queens. Photo courtesy mayor’s office
Mayor Bill de Blasio rolled out new improvements to the city’s controversial post-Sandy Build it Back program, which he said started construction on roughly 44 homes in Queens.
Hundreds of other design consultations have also been completed in Queens too, meaning those homeowners can soon begin construction on their homes, de Blasio press officer Amy Spitalnick said.
Following stalled reimbursement checks that were supposed to be sent out as of Dec. 31, the program has since issued 397 checks totaling $6.37 million citywide and was expected to be on track to meet the goal of 500 constructions starts and 500 reimbursement checks issued by Labor Day, the mayor said.
“This is all compared to none earlier this year, when the de Blasio administration came into office,” Spitalnick said.
Build it Back was continuously slammed for its unreliability during community meetings in southern Queens after Hurricane Sandy devastated the borough in late October 2012. Several residents in some of the hardest hit neighborhoods argued that the program lost their paperwork at least once, if not multiple times.
Others said they saw their savings depleted and had to take out personal loans to pay for living expenses while wringing their hands waiting for city reimbursement checks. About 20,000 people in total have applied for help, the city said.
Director of Housing Recovery Amy Peterson said she started at Build it Back about three and a half months ago, and in that time, has been to the communities that were hardest hit by Sandy and listening to the struggles of homeowners trying to deal with the Build it Back system.
“We have really turned it around and changed it from a system of ‘No, you can’t do this for this reason, or this wetlands reason,’ to a system of, ‘Yes, we can move your application forward,” Peterson said. “We have over 650 projects that have actually gotten to design. That will help us certainly get to our 500 construction starts.”
As of April, Build it Back expanded its eligibility and did away with priority levels so that every homeowner, regardless of their income, is able to quickly move forward with the reconstruction process, de Blasio said. The city Department of Buildings added 44 new staff positions, including 21 inspectors, dedicated specifically to the program.
“There’s no question now, if you were affected by Sandy and you are eligible, we’re going to move your application forward regardless of income,” de Blasio said. “We’ve streamlined the process to get construction started, made it a lot simpler to get to the first moment when a hammer hits a nail.”
Applicants will now be able to track the status of their paperwork in real time through a newly launched web portal, the mayor said. Senior staff members are slated to be working in Build it Back centers to provide direct management and create a more fluid review and option selection process. Senior-level Department of Building staff members will also be stationed at the centers as well, creating a “one stop shop” for residents.
By Ashley Helms
