Mayor Bill de Blasio provides an update on the Build It Back progress. Photo courtesy Ed Reed for the Office of Mayor Bill de Blasio
The Build It Back program geared towards putting Superstorm Sandy victims back on their feet gave a green light to hundreds of construction projects and cut even more reimbursement checks after starting the year at zero, Mayor Bill de Blasio said.
The city approved the construction for 535 homes and also sent 543 reimbursement checks through the Build it Back program, far exceeding de Blasio’s goals set as part of the Sandy recovery overhaul earlier this year. The mayor said homeowners were stalled in the intaking process at the start of this year with not a single one even starting the design process. But as of this spring, de Blasio said he helped to overhaul the program and appointed Amy Peterson as its new director to jumpstart it – committing to 500 construction starts and 500 reimbursement checks by Labor Day.
“It was simply unacceptable that not a single homeowner had gotten relief as of the beginning of this year,” said Mayor de Blasio. “We committed to putting Build it Back back on track, and that’s exactly what we’ve done, exceeding our Labor Day goals with 535 construction starts and 543 reimbursement checks. But we know there’s much more work ahead—and we’re committed to continuing to speed up recovery so that every homeowner gets the relief they need.”
The figure of 535 construction starts included 68 homes that are fully complete, and reflected significant progress on all program pathways, including full rebuilds, elevations and repairs, the mayor said. The 543 checks reflected over $9 million in reimbursements that have gone out to homeowners who completed repairs themselves.
“Build it Back is finally starting to produce real results for homeowners,” said City Councilman Eric Ulrich (R-Ozone Park), whose former chief of staff Rudy Giuliani recently joined the Build it Back team. “This progress is long-overdue, but good news nonetheless. As I’ve said since the very beginning of this program; the day when every family affected by the storm can be restored and made whole again cannot come soon enough!”
As a result of these changes, Build it Back has not only exceeded its Labor Day goals, but will continue to expand capacity and move more and more homeowners into construction and reimbursement. Nearly 3,000 homeowners have signed Option Selection Agreements, and over 1,200 homeowners have started design since January.
“We are excited to see that the de Blasio administration’s efforts to re-tool and speed up the Build it Back program are resulting in real concrete gains for members of our congregations and communities,” said Rev. Arthur Davenport, First Church of God, Far Rockaway, member of Faith in New York. “There is still much work to be done to meet both the short and long-term needs of impacted communities, but we applaud the administration for streamlining the process to make sure families are getting the aid they deserve and so desperately need.”
In addition to this continued progress, the de Blasio administration announced this week significant changes to its case management and inspection contracts that will result in nearly 45 percent savings, while expanding Build it Back’s capacity to deliver relief.
The administration also recently renegotiated its case management contracts, held by URS, Solix, and the Center for New York City Neighborhoods. The contract changes being submitted by the de Blasio administration will result in $61 million in savings that can now go back into relief efforts, with the renegotiated contracts valued at approximately $77 million, compared to the $138 million that had been negotiated by the prior administration.
By The Forum Staff
