The city plans to use $100 million in newly released federal funds to rebuild “every home destroyed” by Hurricane Sandy, Mayor de Blasio announced Saturday.
Speaking in the Rockaways, he and Sen. Charles Schumer said they worked with the Department of Housing and Urban Development to have $100 million put into the city’s Build It Back program after the funds were stalled in the agency’s auditing process.
The mayor, who once worked at HUD as a regional director, also promised the city would boost city Housing Recovery Office staff by 35 percent, to about 105 workers, and “eliminate permit and procedural bottlenecks that are slowing repairs and rebuilds.”
“I am dissatisfied with what happened over the last few months before we came into office,” he said. “We’re going to make home ownership a priority.”
Sandy battered the city 17 months ago, but many victims are still waiting on relief checks.
De Blasio also introduced his new team for Sandy relief efforts.