Superstorm Housing Rental Fair Saturday in Toms River

Families who have depended on hotel space since losing their homes in Superstorm Sandy face a May 1 checkout and it looks like this time there'll be no extension. Finding rental space isn't easy. But it might become more so tomorrow at Toms River Intermediate East.

The Christie Administration's Rental Fair brings families qualifying for Special Admission Section 8 Vouchers into contact with real estate agents, Section 8 landlords and property owners, the Red Cross, and members of the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (DCA) and Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency (HMFA).

It's 10 AM until 2 PM at the school, 1519 Hooper Avenue.

Attendees can learn how to navigate the free New Jersey Housing Resource Center web site. It's used by individuals looking for living space and landlords with available properties. State officials say that FEMA staffers use it extensively to match storm survivors with appropriate living quarters.

At Governor Christie's direction last December,  DCA set aside 1,000 Section 8 vouchers administered through the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Each carries a value of about $9,480 per year. So far, 422 have been issued. Another 578 are still available.

Applicants are eligible if they were displaced from their primary residences by Superstorm Sandy, have registered with the Federal Emergency Management Agency and deemed eligible for rental aid, have gross household income not exceeding 40 percent of the area's median average, and are in the U.S. legally.

Applications are considered on recommendation by FEMA, the Red Cross, Legal Service of New Jersey and other partner agencies.

Get details on Special Admissions Section 8 vouchers through the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs web page. Get an application at 609-663-6606 or via email, Hurricane.Sandy@dca.state.nj.us.