NYS Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Open Round (Public Facilities, Community Planning, Microenterprise Assistance, Stand-Alone Business Assistance, Imminent Threat)

NYS Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Open Round (Public Facilities, Community Planning, Microenterprise Assistance, Stand-Alone Business Assistance, Imminent Threat) is sponsored by New York State Homes and Community Renewal. This open round of the NYS CDBG program provides funding for public facilities (e. g.

, senior centers, community centers, childcare facilities), community planning, microenterprise assistance, stand-alone business assistance, and imminent threat projects.

# October 1, 2013 thru December 31, 2013 Performance Report B-13-DS-36-0001 Grant: State of New York Grantee: > Community Development Systems Disaster Recovery Grant Reporting System (DRGR) Estimated PI/RL Funds: Obligation Date: Award Date: Contract End Date: Submitted - Await for Review Review by HUD: Total Budget: A.

Housing >Hurricane Sandy >The FEMA Individual Assistance Program (FEMA IA) registration and inspection data available to date indicates that in the State of New York alone, the homes of over 90,000 owners and over 33,000 renters were damaged by Hurricane Sandy. These numbers are expected to grow as more data is made available.

Approximately 10,000 homes were damaged by more than half of their value; over 4,000 individuals have been deemed eligible for the maximum award under FEMA IA and almost 1,000 families are still living in emergency housing or hotels. Many more continue to live with friends and family, or in rental units, until their homes can be repaired.

A total of 14 counties sustained some level of damage by Hurricane Sandy with 13 counties receiving Federal disaster declarations making them eligible for FEMA IA. The majority of the damage, according to the chart below, occurred in four counties: Nassau, Queens, Kings and Suffolk. Hurricane Irene >Tens of thousands of homes across a broad area of New York State suffered damage as a result of Hurricane Irene, and many lost their homes.

FEMA data shows that 26,837 owner-occupied homes suffered damaged, with 155 such homes incurring more than $50,000 worth of verified loss; in addition, at least 38 rental homes were destroyed by the storm.

Tropical Storm Lee >Tropical Storm Lee also had a devastating effect on many New York families; coming only months after Hurricane Irene impacted the State: according to FEMA estimates, 9,071 owner-occupied homes and 2,143 rental homes were damaged by the storm. 29 owner-occupied homes incurred more than $50,000 in damage, and 12 rental homes were destroyed.

The below tables show FEMA estimates of damage to owner-occupied and rental homes, by county, for Tropical Storm Lee: >In determining the impact on housing during its inspection process, FEMA uses the following definitions: >>Moderate damage: Moderate structure damage includes less than (6) inches of water on the first occupied floor of the dwelling.

Other event types, such as fire, may have visible soot and ash that impacts habitability requiring professional cleaning. Access to the dwelling can be considered Minor due to conditions such as minor washouts requiring some road fill that prevents routine access to the dwelling. Substantial Damage: Substantial structure damage should be noted with water levels greater than six (6) inches and less than four (4) feet.

Items such as collapsed chimney, furnace damage, water heater damage, exterior siding damages, and or roof damages affecting one or both sides of the dwelling, compromised windows and or doors. Access to the dwelling can be considered substantial when access may be blocked with down trees or private road is substantially washed out.

Major Damage: Major structure damage is identified when approximately four (4) feet of water, or more, is on the first occupied floor. Other items can substantiate major structure damage such as collapsed foundation walls and or piers and or significant separation in the walls from the dwelling. Wind events that have removed/damaged the majority of the roof and or wall components.

Access to the dwelling can be considered major when the only access is by a bridge that has collapsed.

The State&rsquos needs assessment, conducted using data available from FEMA and SBA, as well as through consultatial governments, other State and local government agencies and affected New Yorkers, has revealed substantial loss across a wide range of housing types, including single-family and two-family homes and larger multi-family structures.

Furthermore, Sandy, Irene and Lee affected both market-rate rental properties and a substantial number of subsidized and affordable rental properties. New York State aims to help affected families to rebuild and return to their homes as soon possible by addressing unmet housing rehabilitation and repair needs and incorporating mitigation measures in order to reduce impacts of future disasters.

To ensure that the rental market rebounds and affordable housing options persist for those in storm-affected areas, it will be important to direct assistance to rental properties in addition to owner-occupied properties.

Across the affected region, excluding New York City, in response to Hurricane Sandy alone, the FEMA Individuals and Households Program (FEMA IHP) has already distributed $340 million in assistance to homeowners, with an additional $474 million in loans to homeowners from QPR Contact: Grant Status: > Community Development Systems Disaster Recovery Grant Reporting System (DRGR) the SBA.

Further, insurers have paid or expect to pay out substantial sums to homeowners - including at least $1. 3 billion under flood insurance policies and approximately $1. 1 billion in other residential property claims.

Finally, the New York State Homeownership Repair and Rebuilding Fund (HRRF) and the Empire State Relief Fund (ESRF) have paid out over $29 million combined in aid to over 4,500 households. Each of these funds provides a payment of up to $10,000 to homeowners to cover the needs gap left unmet by the maximum amount of FEMA assistance ($31,900). Despite all of this assistance there is still a great level of unmet need.

The same is true for Irene and Lee: FEMA paid out over $92 million in Housing Assistance for Irene and over $47 million for Lee. While many homeowners have recovered, there remains real unmet need for those who suffered serious damage that was not fully covered by the assistance available to them. Hurricane Sandy severely affected not-for-profit and State agencies providing temporary housing services to displaced individuals.

In addition to causing widespread damage to their facilities, Hurricane Sandy negatively affected their ability to provide temporary housing aid in the near term. The State will direct funds to reimburse or support efforts to assist those who need special housing services in the wake of the storm.

Working with community organizations and volunteers, agencies across New York State have and will continue to support those displaced by Hurricane Sandy. >Public Housing Authorities >The State of New York is committed to ensuring that public housing is better prepared for future disasters.

The State expects that needed repairs and mitigation will be a critical part of New York State&rsquos public housing recovery efforts and the efforts of other communities. Across the State, approximately 450,000 New Yorkers reside in public housing.

Many of the public housing complexes impacted by Hurricane Sandy were located in coastal areas of the State, with the majority of these complexes serving approximately 45,000 people located within New York City&rsquos mandatory evacuation zone. These facilities are part of the NYC Housing Authority (NYCHA) and their disaster-related needs wilbeadesebNwYrCtuigitalctinsofFdrldsserad.

ns;/&m;;/> Outside of New York City, HUD initially identified the Long Beach and Freeport Public Housing Authorities (PHAs) on Long Island as two that sustained significant damage in Hurricane Sandy. Since the designation of these most impacted PHAs, further research has identified the Hempstead Housing Authority as also having sustained significant damage.

New York State has consulted with each of the three housing authorities to determine the extent of their unmet needs. Based on initial damage estimates provided by the impacted PHAs, there exists close to $10 million worth of emergency repairs needed at damaged PHA facilities.

New York State will set aside no less than $10 million of CDBG-DR funds from the initial housing release to cover the identified rehabilitation, mitigation, and construction needs of the PHAs. The State commits that it will allocate funds from future incremental requests, or future CDBG_DR allocations, as additional need is identified through continued consultation with the affected PHAs.

The following is a summary of the needs identified in each of the PHA&rsquos service areas. >Freeport Public Housing Authority >The Village of Freeport Public Housing Authority (PHA) manages and maintains 351 low-income and senior apartments in five locations throughout the Village. Three of its sites sustained significant damage including major flooding damage to all mechanical, electrical and specialty systems.

Over $207,000 was expended by the housing authority just to address the immediate repair needs of the Moxey Rigby Complex, South Main and 100 North Main Street facilities.

However, because many of the systems that needed to be replaced as a result of Hurricane Sandy also had to be replaced in previous disasters, the Housing Authority is seeking mitigation assistance to elevate and relocate major systems in order to alleviate potential costs from future disasters. The Freeport PHA is currently seeking proposals from engineering firms to provide an in-depth assessment of damage to PHA facilities.

The PHA provided pre-engineering estimates of $342,000 to address needed repairs. Long Beach Public Housing Authority >The Long Beach Housing Authority manages and maintains 374 low-income and senior apartments in five locations within the city. The storm caused significant damage to residential and administrative units.

Most of the repair needs include addressing water damage and subsequent environmental hazards such as mold remediation, damage to major electrical, heating, and hot water systems, wind damage to roofs, and removal of sand and other debris. Estimated damage repair, as outlined below, costs exceed $2. 5 million.

This damage estimate does not include mitigation measures that would be implemented in hopes of reducing the impacts of any future damage resulting from other natural disasters. The Long Beach PHA will perform a more thorough evaluation to determine actual costs resulting from design and engineering evaluations.

Long Beach Housing Authority &ndash NY050 >Estimated Cost Summary Location Estimated Cost >1) Channel Park Homes $1,500,000 (estimated) >2) 175 West Broadway $300,000br/&g3)&a;bs;3Eatroadaynbs;&a;bs;&a;bp;nbsp&np;nbp;nbp;&ap,004) 415 National Boulevard $300,000 >5) 225 West Park Avenue $300,000 > Total: $2,700,000 Hempstead Housing Authority >The Town of Hempstead Housing Authority (TOHHA) has identified 14 low-income and senior housing complexes as having sustained damage from Hurricane Sandy.

The majority of the damage stems from downed trees and roof damage. The TOHHA has completed most of the clean-up and immediate repairs, but has identified additional, secondary issues that need to be addressed including assistance with mitigation measures to alleviate damage that may occur should similar disasters hit the area.

These include replacing HVAC systems and elevating boiler rooms, generators and other structures above flood stage and storm surge levels. Currently, TOHHA has received $750,000 (maximum allowed) in insurance payments for damage to three buildings in the Inwood Gardens complex. Additional insurance claims are pending as is funding form FEMA Public Assistance.

At this time, the TOHHA estimates that there was nearly $7 million in damage to its facilities.

>>While the State continues to consult with the Freeport, Long Beach, and the Town of Hempstead PHAs about the full extent of damage that they sustained and their remaining unmet need, these PHAs have FEMA Public Assistance (FEMA PA) projects in process with the State Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Services (DHSES) related to flood-damaged buildings, boilers, electrical systems and backup generators, debris removal, and other emergency protective measures.

As discussed above, and later in this Action Plan, the, the State intends to use a portion of its initial allocation of CDBG-DR to cover rehabilitation, mitigation, and construction needs of the PHAs and the non-Federal match requirement for CDBG-DR eligible activities, including FEMA PA projects. To the extent allowable, the FEMA PA needs of these PHAs will be included in this use of CDBG-DR funding.

Emergency Shelters and Homeless Housing >Very low-income homeless individuals who have special needs (such as mental illness, chemical dependency, chronic illnesses including 3 > Community Development Systems Disaster Recovery Grant Reporting System (DRGR) HIV/AIDS, and/or cognitive impairments), as well as families headed by these adults, have historically been amongst the most challenging populations for which to locate appropriate housing, a challenge that has become even more complex in the post-Sandy housing market.

Many lack both the income and the supports needed to obtain and retain stable housing. Since Sandy, the State and its local service agency partners have focused on assessing the disaster-related needs of persons with special needs that have been left homeless.

Many of these persons and their families were precariously housed before the disaster, living in only marginally habitable housing and/or doubled up with friends or family members who can no longer care for them in the aftermath of the disaster.

Some were not adequately linked to treatment and other supports before Sandy hit; others were able to function effectively until faced with the trauma or worsened medical conditions caused by the disaster. While many persons with special needs will be able to obtain appropriate housing if prideadquangoig rntalassstanc, sme idiualsanheifamliesequehe mreustanedsupt tatpredby prmaet supportive housing.

The New York State Homeless Housing and Assistance Program (HHAP) has a long history of effectively serving those among this population who cannot be appropriately housed by traditional affordable housing programs, both because they lack the financial resources to pay for even what is considered &ldquoaffordable housing&rdquo, and because they require supportive services (e.g., case management, life skills training, transportation, child care, employment placement and training, financial assistance) in order to remain stably housed.

HHAP, one of the first programs in the country to specifically target supportive housing development, contracts with not-for-profit providers to construct and rehabilitate homeless housing units for individuals and families.

HHAP-funded projects range in scale from &ldquostand-alone&rdquo projects of two units in rural areas to &ldquomixed use&rdquo projects in large urban settings in which a percentage of the units are set-aside for homeless individuals with special needs and their families.

Current estimates of need for new HHAP projects as a result of the disaster are based on waiting list demand and lack of turnover on those projects in the non-metropolitan areas being financed solely with HHAP, and 600 units in New York City being constructed with mixed funding from HHAP and other sources, such as Low-Income Housing Tax Credits, NYS Housing Trust Fund, and NYC Department of Housing and Preservation Development.

Mitigation Needs in Existing Homeless Housing and Assistance Program (HHAP) Projects and Homeless Shelters >There are approximately 150 existing HHAP-funded projects in the disaster-impacted region. Many of these were without generators and sources of heat after the disaster; some remained that way for weeks afterward because generators were in short supply and building basements were flooded.

This resulted in very vulnerable populations being either evacuated or remaining in conditions which negatively impacted their health and safety. It is essential for all such programs to secure generators or permanent backup power systems before the next disaster; it is also important for them to move heating and electrical systems out of the basement into a more secure place in the building.

In the disaster, a number of HHAP projects either temporarily or permanently lost access to client and program records, making it very challenging for them to adequately address client needs. It is necessary to develop electronic storage systems that ensure secure access to client and programmatic records from off-site locations in case of future emergencies.

In addition to the HHAP-funded projects in the region impacted by Sandy, there are approximately 100 homeless emergency shelters serving both homeless individuals and families. During the disaster, many of these emergency shelters also experienced flooding, loss of electricity and heat, and lack of access to client records, making it necessary for them to either evacuate their clients or serve them in a very diminished capacity.

The ability to allow these clients to remain housed in place after a disaster instead of having to relocate them to evacuee shelters would graly enncerecovrefortsin te futre.

&l;gt;Miationfundgis nededo assisbothHP-fndedrogras andhomeess slersith prcasngepcemnt/bak-upgeerators or power systems, revamping electrical and heating systems to ensure integrity in flooding situations, and developing electronic storage systems to preserve client and program data.

As previously indicated, there are approximately 100 emergency shelters (most owned by not-for-profit providers but a few by municipalities) and 150 homeless housing projects constructed by the State&rsquos Homeless Housing and Assistance Program in the disaster area. Projects needing mitigation assistance range in scale from two-unit HHAP projects to 400-bed emergency shelter facilities.

Together, the repair, construction and mitigation costs to assist this at-risk population of New Yorkers are estimated to exceed $150 million. New York State is still conducting assessment of the damage to these facilities. It is anticipated that Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) funds may cover immediate costs of repair and rehabilitation.

However, once final assessments have been completed, New York State will determine the level of CDBG-DR funds required to address emergency shelter and homeless housing needs and will allocate necessary funds from the next incremental request of funds or from future CDBG-DR allocations to the State, to address these needs.

New York State will continue its unmet needs and impact assessment of damaged HUD assisted housing as defined in FR-5696-N-01. The assessment will be conducted in consultation with HUD, local government, and other partners. The State will allocate funds from the next incremental request of CDBG-DR funds, of from future CDBG-DR allocations to the State, to address the unmet needs identified in the damage assessment.

>>Temporary Rental Housing Assistance >As identified earlier in this needs assessment, more than 1,000 individuals and families are still living in emergency housing or hotels, and many more continue to live with family and friends, or in rental units until their homes can be repaired.

Addressing the needs of this displaced population and ensuring their return to safe, decent and long-term affordable housing is a priority of the State's overall recovery plan. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will be offering continued temporary housing assistance for those disaster survivors requiring longer-term rental assistance through the Disaster Housing Assistance Program (DHAP).

DHAP will be administered by HUD pursuant to an Interagency Agreement (IAA) with FEMA. FEMA will determine eligibility and will refer eligible applicants to HUD. HUD will then work with the State to administer the program.

It is anticipated the program will be administered locally by the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development for disaster survivors within New York City, and by New York State Homes and Community Renewal for eligible survivors in counties outside New York City. Participation in DHAP will require survivors to take part in the State of New York or City of New York&rsquos Disaster Case Management (DCM) Program.

Eligible families will receive a maximum of 12 months of rental assistance under DHAP, and will contribute a portion of the rent pursuant to a rent calculator tool. Recipients ofDHP assitnceill worwih teir DCcaseanagero deveoparmanenhusng plathatrasiionshem tosustainabe housigolutin. &nbs;his plawill,whereppicble,ncludepplicton ofavalbleDBG-DRssistaceor residential home repair, rehabilitation and/or mitigation.

DHAP recipients will receive priority, to the extent possible and practicable, under the State administered CDBG-DR programs for home repair and mitigation. Further, in recognition that DHAP assistance will run out after a period of 12 months, the State will closely monitor the long-term needs of this population to ensure that no one is left without this critical assistance at the end of this period of time.

To the extent necessary and applicable, the State may elect to use a portion of its CDBG-DR allocation to fund needed assistance. This Action Plan will be updated accordingly as the DHAP program runs its course and additional need is identified.

>Estimation of unmet need for housing repair & reconstruction from Hurricane Sandy >To determine unmet need for housing repair and reconstruction assistance, New York State utilized three methodologies: >4 > Community Development Systems Disaster Recovery Grant Reporting System (DRGR) >(1) Top-down estimation of replacement cost for damaged housing stock across affected NYS counties (excluding NYC); >(2) Consultation with county officials and public housing authorities; and >(3) Analysis of indications of interest in different types of housing assistance through pre-registrations with New York State.

Findings are described below. >Quantification of unmet need from top-down analysis of assessed damage across the housing stock >The State obtained detail on each applicant for FEMA Individual Assistance, including owners and renters, and used this information as a starting point to assess aggregate unmet need for housing repair and reconstruction.

Based on initial inspections of each property, FEMA calculates FEMA Verified Loss (FVL), which represents the estimated cost to make critical repairs to each home affected by the storm. Since FVL is based on a rapid assessment process that does not attempt to estimate the cost to fully restore the home to its pre-storm condition, FVL systematically underrepresents damage incurred by homeowners.

FVL furthermore focuses on owner-occupied properties, and is generally not calculated for properties if they are occupied by renters at the time of the storm.

It therefore systematically underrepresents the extent of damage to the rental stock; given the large proportion of minority and low income New Yorkers who require affordable rental properties, the State believes it is critical to understand damage incurred by this segment of the housing market. New York State used FVL as a starting point to assess damage.

To correct for the aforementioned limitations of FVL and scale up to represent true damage incurred, the State made two key adjustments to the FVL measure applied to each IA application record: (1) Adjustment for renter-occupied properties: To represent damage incurred by rental properties, the State &lsquogeocoded&rsquo data from FEMA based on property addresses, such that each property could be plotted geographically into a Geographic Information System (GIS).

Using the GIS, each address location, and therefore each IA record was linked to the containing U.S. Census block. The average FVL of owner-occupied properties was calculated forachlock.

Thsverageblock-leel FL wathen aplied toeach renal proprtynhatblock testmatthe FVLfor eacrenalropertyWhile ths methodoloy is notanccuratemeasureofoss for ech rentl propetynd cnnot sbstitutefor an-personssessenby aualifiedndependet asessor, the State believes that, in aggregate, it provides an unbiased estimate of FVL for rental properties that can be used to ascertain overall unmet need.

(2) Adjustment for true replacement cost: Since FVL underestimates the replacement cost to return properties to their pre-storm condition NYS relied on scaling factors initially developed by HUD to translate FVL into an estimate of the cost to repair housing damage.

These scaling factors were developed by identifying matched pools of properties that were assessed by FEMA and received an FVL estimate, and were also assessed by the Small Business Administration (SBA) and received a Real Property Damage estimate. Scaling factors were created for each FVL range covered by FEMA&rsquos damage classification.

Ranges and scaling factors used are detailed in the below table: >Based on this analysis, New York State estimates total real property damage to homes outside of New York City at approximately $6. 8 billion. This damage is across owner-occupied and rental properties, and includes single-family and duplex homes, apartments, condos and other property types.

* Includes Boats, Mobile Homes, Townhouses and Travel Trailers. Only housing units will be assisted with these funds. Relative to New York City, damage in the most affected counties outside of New York City is relatively more concentrated on owner-occupied housing.

There was, however, significant loss to rental units of different types &ndash including many one- or two-family structures. It is critical to identify and repair damage to rental properties, since many low-income and vulnerable persons rely on a well-functioning rental market.

The structures most damaged across these four counties were primarily free-standing one- or two-family homes, but many multi-family properties (including condominium and co-op buildings) incurred significant damage as well. To arrive at estimated unmet need, New York State has compiled estimates of other types of assistance that have been or will be provided to affected homeowners for personal property damage.

For the purposes of this Action Plan, unmet need for repair & reconstruction assistance is calculated in the following manner: Category of assistance Amount in $ millions > Total real property loss: $6,838 >Less Flood insurance coverage: ($1,345)* >Less Other private insurance coverage: ($1,118)** >Less FEMA IHP Housing Assistance: ($340) >Less Other FEMA repair assistance: (~$5) >Less SBA Housing loans: ($474) >Less Previous New York State assistance: ($29) > Estimated Unmet Need = $3,527 >* NFIP Hurricane Sandy claims for NYS as of 1/31/2013, excluding NYC >** Residential property Sandy claims for NYS as of 3/21/2013, excluding NYC Analysis of preliminary indications of interest from affected homeowners >In order to prepare the State tinitite the prcesof deliering assstancto stuggling fmilies aearly asossible,ew Yorkate lanched are-regstraion proces for hoeownes.

Oe of theState&rsqu;s goalsin initiaingre-registations ws togauge homewner intrest inhe diferentypes oassistancthat Newok State evisiond povidingfor repairmitigatioand byouts, pending final policy design and approval from HUD. Note that analysis in this section includes New York City, since New York City homeowners in certain areas who meet the applicablecriteria are eligible for the State-run Buyout program.

Since launching its online pre-registration system, the State has received over 7,000 pre-registrations from homeowners located throughout the affected areas, including New York City, claiming unmet need.

The State and its partners will continue to review applications individually to determine program eligibility, but the sheer volume of registrations is indicative of substantial unmet need across counties and for different types of assistance. The below chart shows the trend in the volume of pre-applications received daily between February 28 &ndash March 26, 2013.

The State recognizes a recent drop-off in pre-registrations, but believes that this will increase substantially as public awareness and outreach campaigns surrounding program launch bring in a new wave of applicants that were not initially aware of the ability to pre-register. >The distribution of pre-registrants in need of different types of assistance reflects some of the most acute funding needs.

84% of homeowners expressed an unmet need for repair or reconstruction grant funding, while 56% indicated need for mitigation assistance (including elevation) and 34%, over 2,500 homeowners, expressed initial interest in a buyout of their home.

The State believes a sizeable portion of these pre-registrants may ultimately not be eligible for the types of assistance for which they expressed interest, and in the case of buyouts many who are eligible will ultimately choose to stay in their homes; however the observed volume of documented interest means there is a clear and undeniable need for immediate assistance.

The following chart shows the distribution of homeowner-indicated unmet need derived from New York State pre-registrations: Furthermore, while over 75% of homeowners who pre-registered have already begun the repair process, many with assistance from FEMA 5 > Community Development Systems Disaster Recovery Grant Reporting System (DRGR) and other sources, nearly 25% have not begun to rebuild nearly 6 months after the storm.

In many cases those homeowners who have begun repairing their homes have needed to tap into their personal savings and retirement plans or borrow from friends and family in order to begin work; this has resulted in serious liquidity constraints for these homeowners.

New York State has observed that only 10% of pre-registrants were owners of rental properties, which suggests a lack of awareness among rental property owners about the expected availability of State funding for rental property repair (rental units represent over 30-40% of the market in most of the affected areas).

New York State is particularly concerned with restoring a deep and stable market for affordable rental housing, in order to direct assistance to those underserved populations including minorities and low income households, as well as special needs individuals and families, who are generally more likely to live in rental properies.

Baed on itsnalyss of pre-egistratios, theState wll focus aditionalttention onarketing anoutreach twners oaffordablrentalropertes to addrss this lck ofwarenes going frward. &nbsp Througa comination ofState agecy emloyees, couty levelovernmenttaff, vluntees, communty organizes, partnersanothers, weintendo reah out toresidents iareas mostmpactedy these storms.

In order to ensure an adequate number of applications from vulnerable populations, New York will be siting both temporary and permanent outreach and case management centers in locations that are accessible by all who need assistance. These include, but are not limited to areas where there is concentrated damage and communities with high concentrations of vulnerable populations.

Recognizing the limitations of some residents to access city centers and other areas where our centers may be located, we will be partnering with the State&rsquos Department of Financial Services (DFS) to utilize their mobile command center, which will traverse the impacted areas to ensure that to the greatest extent feasible communities outside of major cities, villages and town are reached.

Together, these centers and the mobile command center will provide assistance for all applicants including homeowners, business owners, and multi-family property owners. These locations will be accessible for persons with disabilities and will have access to translation services for both non-English speakers and persons with hearing and visual impairments.

New York will also have all materials translated into Spanish, simplified Chinese, Russian, and other languages as requested; the New York State Action Plan has been and will continue to be posted in various languages on the HCR website atwww. nyshcr. org.

Additionally, the State is currently coordinating with the Disaster Case Management Program (DCMP) and the VOAD Network of organizations to extend the reach of our services to the clientele they service on a daily basis.

All of this coordination and outreach will be supplemented by a State-run call center &ndash 1-855-NYS-SANDY - which will be manned daily by trained professional staff who will be able to assist residents and business owners alike with answers to their questions about these programs and others available as part of the disaster recovery network in New York State.

Estimation of relative need among Low and Moderate Income Households for Sandy >In creating CDBG-DR funded programs for Housing recovery, New York State is particularly concerned with need among those with low- and moderate-income who incurred damage from the storm.

To understand the extent of need among this population, the State conducted detailed analysisf househod income foFEMA Idividual Asistance (I) appliants, acoss affecteareas of Nw York Stateexcluding NewYork City). orach appliant, the Stte determned theapplicant&rquo;souseholdincomes a proporton of the HU-determned Area Median Income (AMI).

Those households with incomes below 80% of AMI are classified as low- or moderate-income households. The following chart illustrates the distribution of household income among households in different income ranges, expressed as % of AMI. Owner-occupied households are grouped into income ranges, and the proportion of the total number of FEMA IA