Hackensack, NJ – Greater Bergen Community Action, Inc. (GBCA), Bergen County’s federally-designated anti-poverty Agency, which in recent years expanded to provide services in the cities of Paterson, Jersey City and Passaic, today announced the launch of its Emergency Housing Rehabilitation Assistance Program. The program aids Bergen County residents adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic by making critical home repairs that affect the health and safety of the residents of qualifying households. Households enrolled in the program will receive financial assistance to make home improvements to compromised, inefficient, or end-of-life:
• Roofing systems, leaders, and gutters
• Driveways, steps, and sidewalks
• Electrical systems
• Plumbing systems
• Heating and air conditioning systems
• Windows and doors
• Exterior siding
• Decking
• Water damaged interior
Up to $10,000 of services will be paid for by Greater Bergen’s Emergency Housing Rehabilitation Assistance Program directly to the home improvement contractor performing the work on eligible projects, with the applicant contributing any costs over that amount to complete the project. Supplemental funds will be made available through a low-interest fixed-rate loan underwritten by 1st Bergen Federal Credit Union, if needed.
Greater Bergen’s Director of New Program Development, Mike Lamendola, said of the program: "So many Bergen County residents had to defer essential home repairs due to the financial impacts they experienced during the pandemic. This program strives to offer relief so that these families continue to have a safe roof over their heads."
Eligible applicants are low-to-moderate income households: those earning 200% of the federal poverty level or below. Applicants need to have had experienced, or are experiencing, an adverse economic affect due to COVID-19, contributing to the financial burden preventing necessary home repairs. These include loss of employment, loss of income through employment, medical occurrence(s) incurring loss of
employment or incurred medical expenses, or care for a family member necessitating increased costs or loss of income.
For more information on eligibility and how to apply, please visit https://www.greaterbergen.org/home-rehab or contact Mike Lamendola at Mike.Lamendola@GreaterBergen.org.
ABOUT GREATER BERGEN COMMUNITY ACTION
Bergen Community Action (GBCA) is a 501(c)(3), not-for-profit Community Action Agency. Established in 1967, Greater Bergen is part of a nationwide network of poverty-fighting enterprises which were established as part of the nation’s effort to address the intractable and persistent problem of poverty in America. For more information about GBCA, go to www.greaterbergen.org.