FOX 8 News received this news release from FEMA authorities Thursday evening:
Fact Sheet
HOUSING OPTIONS FOR HURRICANE ISAAC SURVIVORS
What housing assistance is available to survivors?
The vast majority of the FEMA grants under the Individual and Households Program are for emergency home repairs. Some survivors are eligible for short-term rent payments if the hurricane damage made their home or apartment uninhabitable. The program is explained in the booklet "Help After a Disaster: Applicants Guide to the Individuals and Households Program" that is given to everyone who receives a housing grant.
How do survivors know if they are eligible for these types of assistance?
By first registering with FEMA. Assistance is available for eligible survivors in the 18 Louisiana parishes designated for FEMA's Individuals and Households Program. Eligibility is determined on a case-by-case basis.
If survivors are eligible for home repair, what choices do they have in how they use the funds?
Recipients may spend these grants in any way that helps them establish permanent, safe, sanitary and functional housing. Instead of repairing their hurricane-damaged home, recipients may choose to apply the funds to purchase other housing.
What kind of records should survivors keep?
Those who receive a FEMA grant should save receipts demonstrating how they used the assistance funds. They should hold on to the receipts for three years. If specific receipts are missing, a credit card statement or other evidence should be sufficient to show the grant was spent to help with recovery. As with many other federal programs, the government audits a percentage of grants to assure the money was spent as intended.
What choices are there for survivors who receive rental assistance?
Survivors may rent an apartment, a house, a mobile home or other temporary rental unit. The type of rental unit and the location may be determined by the survivor.
How long does rental assistance last?
These grants are provided on a temporary basis until the person can get back into long-term housing. Their duration varies.
If survivors have questions, how can they get answers?
Survivors can get questions answered online at www.disasterassistance.gov or they may choose to speak to a FEMA representative by phone through our helpline. They can call 1-800-621-3362 or TTY 1-800-462-7585. Anyone who uses 711-Relay or Video Relay Services can call 1-800-621-3362. Survivors also may visit a Disaster Recovery Center (DRC) to speak directly with a FEMA specialist who can answer questions. DRC addresses are online at www.fema.gov/disaster/4080.
What is the shorter term sheltering program that FEMA is offering in Louisiana?
FEMA has made available Transitional Sheltering Assistance (TSA) to meet the emergency needs of eligible Hurricane Isaac survivors who do not have access to their homes due to damage, inaccessibility or lack of essential utilities.
Who is eligible for TSA?
TSA is currently open to all eligible applicants in shelters, as well as eligible applicants not in shelters whose damaged dwellings are in St. John Parish or in designated zip codes in nine additional parishes. Those parishes are Ascension, Jefferson, Lafourche, Livingston, Orleans, Plaquemines, St. Bernard, St. Charles and St. Tammany.
What does TSA pay for?
For eligible survivors, the program may pay for a hotel or motel stay for a limited time. FEMA will cover the cost of the room and taxes in payments made directly to the hotel. FEMA does not cover additional charges for pets and does not pay for meals, room service, telephone calls or other incidental charges.
Will any more housing-related programs be available?
Planning meetings are continuing among local, state and federal partners to determine the need for other temporary housing solutions for residents whose homes were severely damaged or destroyed during Hurricane Isaac.
More information about this disaster is available online at www.fema.gov/disaster/4080 or www.getagameplan.org.
