WIN for Ida families: $149 million more in recovery funds!

New Jersey’s Ida survivors are receiving an additional $149 million in federal funding for our community’s recovery! This increase in the total amount of Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery Funds (CDBG-DR) set aside for the state’s Ida recovery brings us up to $377 million for survivors to get home and whole. 

This is a big win for Ida families who have long been calling for enough funding to ensure a full recovery. In March 2022, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced that only $228 million in CDBG-DR funding would be available to New Jersey – but storm survivors knew there was no way this would be enough to cover all need. 

There is still more that needs to be done in terms of making sure our communities are able to access this money. But we’re thrilled to see this money come in for Ida families, and glad that the organizing work NJ’s storm-impacted communities has done has made this possible.

Maryann Morris, an Ida survivor from Manville, shares the significance of this win, and what must come next to make sure every Ida family a fair recovery: 

“Ida survivors and members of the New Jersey Organizing Project are encouraged by the announcement that New Jersey has received an additional $149 million dollars in HUD CDBG-DR funding for Ida recovery. Since the announcement in March of this year that $228 million was allocated, we have been tireless in insisting this is not enough to thoroughly and fairly address Ida’s impact. We are overjoyed to hear that after months of NJOP members, our elected officials and allies pushing for more recovery money we will receive an additional $149 million.

Speaking as a Manville resident and person who was at ground zero of Hurricane Ida, this is a great step forward. We have told our stories, rallied our communities, and demonstrated that together our voices have power. Though this is major progress, we believe we still need additional funds allocated and are working at the state level to do so. We will continue to stand up and speak out until funding is in our communities’ hands and we have all that we need to not only survive, but thrive.”