Rep. Engel Says Co-Ops and Condos Are Home and Must Be Helped

Press Release

Congressman Eliot Engel (D-NY-16) said that thousands of people who live in cooperatives and condominiums must not be excluded from vital Superstorm Sandy relief funds because of the type of home they live in.

Rep. Engel co-wrote a letter to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) this past March asking for the inclusion of co-op and condo shared space areas in federal aid for storm victims. FEMA claims it cannot extend aid to co-ops and condos. Rep. Engel is working to change the rules allowing for their inclusion.

Rep. Engel said, "Under FEMA rules, if you own a house and a storm ripped off your roof, you could apply for funds to rebuild your home. However, a co-op or a condominium board would be out of luck. This is patently unfair -- co-ops and condominiums are just as much a home for millions of families. Thankfully, my district was mostly spared from the worst damages from Superstorm Sandy, but other co-ops and condominiums in New York and other states were less fortunate. The next storm which strikes could hit closer to home for us, and we need to act now to prevent these people from losing their homes."

Presently, co-ops and condos are only eligible to receive loans and not grants because they are classified as "business associations" under FEMA assistance eligibility rules.

Rep. Engel added, "Anyone who has ever lived in a condo or a co-op knows that it is not a business association -- it is a home. It is where you live with your family, where you eat dinner, where you lay your head at night. If we have to do this with legislation to help our constituents recover from storm damage, and prepare for the next one, then that's what we'll do. I urge my colleagues to remember that a home is not just a structure and should not leave families living in condos and co-ops behind."

Source