O.C.E.A.N. Inc. Helps Sandy Victims Find Their Way Home

Earlier this month, we told you about O.C.E.A.N. Inc.'s plan to build a dozen rental homes in Berkeley Township to house families who had been displaced by Superstorm Sandy.

A ribbon-cutting on Thursday celebrated the completion of the first six of those homes. O.C.E.A.N. Inc. President and CEO Ted Gooding says his organization had always planned to build affordable homes on the land donated by the township, but hadn't made concrete plans until the storm.

"When Sandy hit, we were able to put together a whole bunch of funders to get this project done," Gooding said.

Those funders included Berkeley Township, Brethren Disaster Ministries, the Hurricane Sandy New Jersey Relief Fund, the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs, New Jersey Natural Gas, Ocean County, Ocean First Bank, the Robin Hood Foundation, United Church of Christ Disaster Ministries, the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, and Wells Fargo.  The homes were also almost entirely built by volunteer labor coordinated by Brethren Disaster Ministries, which Gooding says saved the project about $35,000 per home in labor costs.

New tenant Natalie Gill says it's amazing to finally have a place she can really call home.

"Basically, since the storm I've moved around a lot," said Gill.  "I didn't think that I was going to find a home and stay, I was jumping from house to house, friends, family."

Fellow tenant Shakiera Morris says she was able to find rental housing with help from the Sandy Homeowner and Renter Assistance Program (SHRAP), but she still struggled to get by.

"I was looking for more low-income housing because where I was... I was trying to figure out how I was going to make the rent," Morris said.  "It was $1600 a month."

Rents for the new homes range from $800 to $1200 per month, depending on the renter's income.  Potential renters must meet certain income criteria and produce certificates from FEMA to be considered as possible tenants.  All the homes have 3 bedrooms, 2 full baths, a living room, dining room and kitchen, as well as driveway space for 2 vehicles.