Homes in Sea Bright are being rebuilt by a collaborative effort of nonprofits St. Bernard Project and Sea Bright Rising, with help from volunteers from AmeriCorps. GREG KENNELTY/STAFF A fter nearly two years of living in her car, in various shelters and even in a climate-controlled storage locker in Monmouth County, Vicky M. no longer identifies herself as a resident of any town.
She says simply that she is from New Jersey.
And according to a new study by the National Low Income Housing Coalition, Vicky’s struggle may be more indicative of the housing conditions in New Jersey than many realize.
The annual “Out of Reach” study, released March 24, finds that New Jersey continues to have the fifth highest rental rates in the nation, behind only Hawaii, Washington, D.C., California and Maryland.
In Monmouth County, an estimated 64 percent of renters cannot afford fair-market rent for a two-bedroom apartment, according to the study. In Ocean County the number is 66 percent, while it is 55 percent in Middlesex.
“We have too many people who can’t find a place to live,” Donna Blaze, executive director of the Eatontown-based Affordable Housing Alliance (AHA), said during a public presentation of the report’s results in Keansburg March 24.
“Monmouth County has historically been one of the most expensive places in the country to rent a two-bedroom apartment. Now, after Sandy, the supply has gone down and the demand has increased, making it even harder.”
Blaze and other housing advocates said superstorm Sandy has drastically culled the rental market, as impacted homeowners seek temporary housing while awaiting repairs, demolitions and rebuilds.
In Monmouth County, the vacancy rate for rental units has dropped from 10 percent to about 1 percent since the storm, and rents have increased by up to 25 percent in some areas due to the increased demand.
With fewer available units and rising costs, Blaze said local renters now need more help than ever. celebration is important because together we are progress. Out of the floodwaters will rise a better, rebuilt community.”
Sea Bright Mayor Dina Long looked back at all the borough has been through.
“One hundred percent of our citizens were displaced. The town was closed-down and hazardous,” she said. “But now, three-fourths of our businesses on Ocean Avenue are open and people are slowly moving back.”
Through its Disaster Recovery Lab, St. Bernard Project helps communities use its standardized model for rebuilding. Since its founding in 2006, the nonprofit has rebuilt homes for nearly 700 families in New Orleans, La., and Joplin, Mo., with the help of over 70,000 volunteers. The project has partnered with community based organizations in the Sandyimpacted communities of Rockaway; Staten Island, N.Y.; and now Sea Bright.
The rebuilding effort will be assisted by AmeriCorps volunteers.
Sea Bright Rising co-founder Chris Wood thanked St. Bernard Project for coming to the aid of Sea Bright Rising and helping the borough rebuild. “We are very, very pleased to be a partner in this,” said Wood, owner of popular eatery Woody’s.
Donations to Sea Bright Rising can be made through www.seabrightrising.org.