FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 30, 2024
Contact: Jag Davies, jag.davies@gmail.com
WATCH: DCA Commissioner Jacquelyn Suarez & Leading Experts Reflect on 10th Anniversary of Record-Breaking Sandy Settlement
New Report Details How Communities Can Equitably Access Funding For Disaster Relief
Oceanport, NJ — Last night, leading experts and policymakers commemorated the 10-year anniversary of the largest settlement in the history of the Fair Housing Act, which reallocated over a half-billion dollars of funding to low-income renters and people of color in the wake of Hurricane Sandy.
In the months following the storm, the disaster recovery system disproportionately allocated resources to white and wealthier homeowners. But a historic settlement — reached between Fair Share Housing Center, the Latino Action Network, the NAACP New Jersey State Conference and the State of New Jersey — reallocated critical resources to marginalized communities.
At last night’s event, the original groups that filed the complaint — as well as storm survivors — reflected on the importance of that action, the progress that has been made since, and the need for additional civil rights advocacy in the disaster recovery system.
Watch yesterday’s panel discussion: https://bit.ly/FairHousingFairRecoveryMay29
The event was accompanied by the release of a new report published by Fair Share Housing Center, Hurricane Sandy and New Jersey’s Fight For Equitable Disaster Relief. The report, featuring personal stories, details the disparate impact of Hurricane Sandy, the Christie Administration’s response, the landmark settlement’s impact on low-income families and communities of color, and lessons learned in the ongoing fight for equity in disaster relief.
“The Sandy recovery process highlighted the need for more equitable and efficient disaster relief systems both in New Jersey and across the country,” said Adam Gordon, executive director of Fair Share Housing Center. “As we prepare for future storms, it is imperative to learn from the past by ensuring that all communities, regardless of race or income, have equal access to relief.”
Last night’s speakers included:
- Adam Gordon, Executive Director of Fair Share Housing Center
- Jacquelyn Suárez, Commissioner of the NJ Dept. of Community Affairs
- Sara Pratt, Former Deputy Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing Enforcement and Programs at the U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development
- Chuck Richman, Former Commissioner of the NJ Dept. of Community Affairs
- Kisha Baldwin, Sandy Survivor
- Millie Gonzalez, Sandy Survivor
- Frank Argote-Freyre, Founding President of the Latino Action Network Foundation and Board Chair of Fair Share Housing Center (moderator)
Watch yesterday’s panel discussion: https://bit.ly/FairHousingFairRecoveryMay29
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Fair Share Housing Center is a nonprofit advocacy organization that uses legal, policy, and community-building strategies to dismantle decades of racial and economic discrimination in New Jersey and nationally that excludes people from the opportunity to live in safe, healthy, and affordable housing.
