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50,000 Katrina evacuees without permanent housing
More than 50,000 people are still living in hotel rooms three months since the devastating consequences of Hurricane Katrina displaced as many as one million people. The Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is currently funding hotel stays for the evacuees who have not been able to find housing. After the next round of deadlines, FEMA will no longer pay the hotel bills.
After coming under criticism, FEMA announced a two-week extension of the deadline for termination of FEMA’s hotel program for evacuees from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Rather than terminating hotel stays on December 1, the extension gives evacuees until December 15. In the 10 states with the highest concentration of evacuees, stays will be extended through January 7, 2006.
The 10 states with the largest concentration of families—92 percent of the total—are Alabama, Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nevada, Tennessee and Texas. In addition, there are 29 states lodging less than 100 families each. For example, New York is hosting 273 households, which means roughly 12 families a day need to be placed in what is now referred to as “temporary permanent” housing by December 15.
FEMA is requiring the 10 states receiving further extensions up to January 7 to outline plans and timelines for completing the placement of evacuee households into qualified temporary housing. FEMA will also require those states to submit periodic status reports outlining their progress in meeting requirements for extensions of the hotel program beyond December 15.
According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a memorandum issued to FEMA staff acknowledges that “available permanent housing is scarce in Louisiana and Mississippi,” adding that “local FEMA officials in these states may approve short-term extensions of hotel/motel assistance of up to 14 days each. No extensions will be allowed beyond January 7. States and localities that pay for hotel rooms beyond these dates will not be reimbursed.”
Secondly, the memorandum directs, “Deny reimbursements to state and local governments for new or extended apartment leases signed after November 30, 2005 on behalf Katrina evacuees. In addition, leases signed by state and local governments before December 1 ... cannot be for longer than three months although longer terms may be approved on a case by case basis if it is determined that three-month leases are unavailable.”
And it further indicates, “End all reimbursements to state and local governments for rental assistance for Katrina victims as of March 1, 2006, even if governments are obliged to make payments under leases for a longer period.”
Read More
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2005/nov2005/evac-n30.shtml
The 10 states with the largest concentration of families—92 percent of the total—are Alabama, Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nevada, Tennessee and Texas. In addition, there are 29 states lodging less than 100 families each. For example, New York is hosting 273 households, which means roughly 12 families a day need to be placed in what is now referred to as “temporary permanent” housing by December 15.
FEMA is requiring the 10 states receiving further extensions up to January 7 to outline plans and timelines for completing the placement of evacuee households into qualified temporary housing. FEMA will also require those states to submit periodic status reports outlining their progress in meeting requirements for extensions of the hotel program beyond December 15.
According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a memorandum issued to FEMA staff acknowledges that “available permanent housing is scarce in Louisiana and Mississippi,” adding that “local FEMA officials in these states may approve short-term extensions of hotel/motel assistance of up to 14 days each. No extensions will be allowed beyond January 7. States and localities that pay for hotel rooms beyond these dates will not be reimbursed.”
Secondly, the memorandum directs, “Deny reimbursements to state and local governments for new or extended apartment leases signed after November 30, 2005 on behalf Katrina evacuees. In addition, leases signed by state and local governments before December 1 ... cannot be for longer than three months although longer terms may be approved on a case by case basis if it is determined that three-month leases are unavailable.”
And it further indicates, “End all reimbursements to state and local governments for rental assistance for Katrina victims as of March 1, 2006, even if governments are obliged to make payments under leases for a longer period.”
Read More
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2005/nov2005/evac-n30.shtml
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