FEMA Increases Rental Assistance for NYC, NJ

The Federal Emergency Management Agency announced Thursday that it is increasing the amount of rental assistance that it may provide eligible disaster survivors in New York and New Jersey. The rental amount, based on existing HUD fair market rates for fiscal 2013, is being increased by an additional 25 percent.

HUD FMR rates are rental cost estimates that include the cost of the shelter and all other tenant-paid utilities, except telephone, cable, and internet services. HUD designs annual FMR levels to be high enough to allow for a wide selection of available units, yet low enough so that as many units as possible may be rented and provided to low-income families.