Two of San Diego’s realtor trade associations, the Pacific Southwest Association of Realtors and the San Diego Association of Realtors, have jointly received a $1.16 million grant from the Realtors Relief Foundation to assist San Diego flood victims who suffered damage to their homes during the January storms.
The two realtor associations said the funds will assist recovery efforts to affected homeowners after flooding damaged their homes in several hard-hit San Diego neighborhoods including Encanto, Mountain View and Southcrest, along with other communities, including Lemon Grove, National City and Spring Valley.
“I am incredibly grateful to the National Association of Realtors for investing in our community through their generous recovery grant,” Nora Vargas, chairwoman of the San Diego Board of Supervisors, said. “As chairwoman, I am dedicated to developing and implementing more innovative solutions to support our communities as we continue to rebuild.”
Officials with the two realtor groups said they have begun meeting to coordinate the application process. A review panel will be formed and meetings will be held to review applications. The RRF grant limits the amount awarded to each approved applicant to one payment equal to the amount of their monthly housing payment, but with the maximum amount capped at $2,900.
RRF is a nonprofit that provides housing-related assistance to disaster impacted communities through the generosity of realtors, state and local associations and industry partners. The grant required a disaster declaration from the U.S. President, which was issued on Feb 19.
The rains began on Jan. 21 and continued the next day, with much of the damage occurring on Jan. 22, the fourth-wettest day in San Diego since record-keeping began in 1850, and the wettest January day on record.
It’s believed that a total of 2,400 households, nearly all in underserved communities where flood insurance coverage is low, were impacted by the ensuing floods, which affected roughly 7,750 people, displaced 1,225 households and caused more than $30 million in damage, according to data collected by the county and verified by federal officials.
Flood victims can find more information about the application process at www.psar.org/floodrelief and www.sdar.com.