Nonprofits Step Up to Rebuild Homes Still Scarred by Sandy

With parts of New York still pocked with houses bearing the scars of Hurricane Sandy nearly 20 months after the storm, volunteer, faith, and community groups have stepped in to aid homeowners left in limbo by a stalled city bureaucracy, writes The New York Times.

Working with disaster case workers, privately funded entities such as the Brooklyn Long-Term Recovery Group and the New York City Unmet Needs Roundtable review cases, make grants, and organize rebuilding and repairs on homes that still have tarps and plywood covering roofs and windows.

Such groups can move with greater speed and flexibility to help homeowners than the city’s Build It Back program, which received funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and thus must follow federal regulations on issues such as insurance, workers’ protections, and aid recipients’ income and immigration status.