FEMA Has Help For Displaced Mississippians To Find Longer Term Housing
Release Date: February 3, 2006
Release Number: 1604-234
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BILOXI, Miss. -- Mississippians displaced from their homes after Hurricane Katrina have found shelter in hotels or motels and a record number are living in FEMA travel trailers or mobile homes. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) have resources to help in finding a long-term housing option.
- Mississippians may contact FEMA’s housing locator service at 1-800-762-8740 or (TTY) 1-800-462-7585 for the speech- or hearing- impaired, open daily from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. CST.
- FEMA and other agencies together provide housing alternatives and assistance through the Mississippi Disaster Housing Referrals website at www.msdisasterhousing.org. The website is frequently updated with listings of available housing throughout Mississippi.
- Individuals and families who were Section 8 voucher holders or residents of other Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) assisted housing, may seek assistance from HUD’s Katrina Disaster Housing Assistance Program (KDHAP). Other eligible participants in this program are HUD assisted families and individuals who lived in a HUD-sponsored homeless shelter prior to Hurricane Katrina and who resided in one of the federally-declared disaster areas within Louisiana, Mississippi or Alabama. To learn more about HUD’s KDHAP, call 1-866-373-9509 or (TTY) 1-800-877-8339 for the speech- or hearing- impaired. The deadline to apply for this program has recently been extended to March 11, 2006.
- Disaster Housing Resources at www.dhronline.org provides listings for available rental properties or free housing across the United States. Available units are categorized as follows: house, apartment, condominium, duplex, efficiency. Users are able to search for housing by state; then either city, county, or zip code. A refined search capability is also available to specify further details such as price range and number of bedrooms and baths.
FEMA is actively working with displaced families to find alternative housing. Community Relations and Human Services Shelter Transition Strike Teams provide more personalized assistance in creating long-term housing plans for displaced families.
For other forms of assistance, individuals and households should contact FEMA’s help line at 1-800-621-FEMA (3362) or (TTY) 1-800-462-7585 for the speech- or hearing- impaired or visit the FEMA website at www.fema.gov. The deadline for new applications through FEMA’s Individuals and Households Program is March 11, 2006.
FEMA manages federal response and recovery efforts following any national incident. FEMA also initiates mitigation activities, works with state and local emergency managers, and manages the National Flood Insurance Program. FEMA became part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on March 1, 2003.
Last Modified: Friday, 03-Feb-2006 13:31:57