The Federal Emergency Management Agency has extended the controversial hotel housing program one more time at the request of the State of New York. Current hotel residents now have a roof over their heads until September 16, 2013. Where they go after that is anyone’s guess.
“I Wish I Could Rebuild My House In Two Weeks!”
Those were the words of Midland Beach resident Aiman Youssef. According to silive.com, Youssef and his family have been residing at the Ramada Inn in Willowbrook, N.J. for about eight months. His Staten Island home, which partially collapsed after being pushed off its foundation during Hurricane Sandy, has yet to be rebuilt. However, he says that plans are in the works.
He told silive.com, “I have an architect who is almost finished. [However], then I have to get [city] building department [permits]…. Construction won’t start until March … [but] I wish I could rebuild my house in two weeks!” While Youssef says that it is very difficult to find alternate housing that can accommodate his disabled 79-year-old mother, he was thrilled with the two-week extension and said that it felt like a “huge weight was lifted from [his] shoulders.”
The Transitional Sheltering Assistance (TSA) program was supposed to be a short-term program that placed eligible families in hotels while they work toward a longer-term housing solution. However, the program has been extended many times as homeowners have struggled to get their insurance companies to compensate them for losses suffered in Hurricane Sandy.
You Don’t Have To Tolerate Bad Faith Insurance Practices
Whether you were one of the nearly 6,000 people who took part in the TSA program after Hurricane Sandy or were able to continue living in your home despite wind damage, flood damage, roof damage or interior damage, your insurance carrier should have made amends by this point. There simply is no excuse for not doing so.
You do not have to tolerate insurance company bad faith practices such as disputing settlement amounts, improperly calculating deductibles, undervaluing claims, proposing unfair settlements or denying claims. If your insurer has treated you in bad faith, contact Belluck & Fox and let one of our experienced and aggressive New York bad faith insurance attorneys determine whether you might be entitled to compensation for bad faith insurance practices and get your homeowners’ insurance claim paid.