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State of New Jersey Management of Reconstruction Rehabilitation, Elevation and Mitigation (RREM) Program

Through the implementation of this program, GRS partner Gilbane was committed to assisting the State of New Jersey with executing a comprehensive strategy to address the State’s long-term recovery and revitalization needs for communities affected by Superstorm Sandy.

Focus on Long-term Recovery and Rebuilding for New Jersey Residents

The State of New Jersey has allocated $1.1 billion in federal funds to help eligible homeowners repair or rebuild their Superstorm Sandy-impacted homes. The Reconstruction Rehabilitation, Elevation and Mitigation (RREM) Program provides grant awards to the primary residences of homeowners for activities necessary to restore their storm-damaged homes, including reconstruction, rehabilitation, elevation and/or other mitigation activities. The Department of Community Affairs (DCA) administers the RREM Program with federal funding provided through Community Disaster Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funds allocated to New Jersey by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Additionally, the RREM Program ensures that homeowners participating in the program are able to comply with federal elevation requirements for structures located in flood plains.
Program components include:

  • Development of program policies and procedures
  • Homebuilder pre-qualification
  • Estimating the cost of repairs and determining the proper filing for rehab or reconstruction
  • Inspecting homes to document repairs that are eligible for HUD grant funding
  • Performing lead base paint and asbestos containing material inspections in existing homes and determining appropriate remediation
  • Development of the scope of work required to rebuild or renovate homes
  • Producing new home and renovation designs including HUD housing quality standards
  • Performing final construction inspections to ensure conformance with program requirements
  • Providing all documentation required for HUD CDBG-DR compliance
  • Managing and reporting HUD Section 3 compliance

Experienced Team Brings Lessons Learned to Efficiently Implement Program

Based on the successful completion of a similar disaster recovery program in New York, GRS Gilbane was able to mobilize an experienced team for this recovery effort. These individuals brought with them an intimate knowledge of the processes and procedures needed to effectively administer the program. As of October 2014, GRS Gilbane has completed 2,468 environmental assessments, 40 final site visits/closeout inspections, 30,000+ call center clarification request responses by residential experts, 1,194 reimbursement payments processed to NJ for disbursement and $40 million in processed payments.