Welcome to NYC Housing Recovery

The NYC Mayor's Office of Housing Recovery Operations and the Build It Back Program are dedicated to helping New Yorkers living in communities affected by Hurricane Sandy. Through the repair, rebuilding, and elevation of homes, the Build It Back program is working to enhance resiliency in our waterfront neighborhoods.

Through Build It Back, the City has prioritized homeowners and waterfront communities – ensuring that these New Yorkers have the resources necessary to recover and make their homes and communities more resilient.  Funded by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Community Development Block Grant disaster recovery funds (CDBG-DR), Build It Back aids homeowners after all other forms of disaster assistance have been exhausted.

Build It Back is helping 8,300 homeowners and landlords of 1-4 unit homes, housing a total of 12,500 families. In the hardest hit waterfront communities, Build It Back is rebuilding and elevating almost 1,375 homes to today’s stringent regulations for flood compliance. Another 6,600 homeowners with moderate Sandy damage are being assisted with repair and reimbursement - helping neighborhoods that were not in the floodplain when Sandy hit and homeowners who did not have flood insurance. Through Build It Back’s Multi-family Program, more than 19,600 households in 143 developments have received assistance through repairs, resiliency upgrades, and reimbursement services, as well as 242 low-income households through rental assistance.

The City is nearing completion of its Hurricane Sandy housing recovery efforts. Through August 2018, the Build It Back program has served 99.8% percent of approximately 8,300 homeowners (totaling 12,500 households) through either a reimbursement check, construction start, or acquisition. The vast majority of these homeowners - 95 percent - have received their full benefit, including construction, reimbursement, or acquisition of their home.  Over 4,800 projects have been completed across Sandy-impacted areas in Brooklyn, The Bronx, Queens, and Staten Island, including 98 percent of City-managed construction projects, and 93 percent of all construction projects, which also includes homeowner-managed construction.

Announcements

Please note: Build It Back Construction Centers will be closed on Monday, February 18, 2019, in observance of Presidents’ Day. Construction Centers will reopen for normal business hours on Tuesday February 19, 2019.

As the cold weather season continues, the Build It Back program would like to remind homeowners of steps to take to ensure that homes are properly winterized. Repairs conducted under Build It Back auspices are covered by the warranty process outlined in homeowners’ grants and other contractual agreements; however, homeowners are responsible for ensuring that homes are properly maintained.  Should you have any questions or concerns, please call the Build It Back Customer Service Center at (212) 615-8329 during regular business hours or send an email to housing@recovery.nyc.gov. If you contact Build It Back after hours, a customer service representative will reach out to you on the next business day. Please provide your name, application ID, and address to verify your application.