FEMA Reminds Landlords to Register Rental Resources; Displaced Residents Should Search Database for Available Rental Units 

Release Date: February 21, 2008
Release Number: 1604-626

» More Information on Mississippi Hurricane Katrina

BILOXI, Miss. -- Federal officials have stepped up efforts to help Mississippi families continue their recovery and transition to permanent housing. The Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) Housing Resource department has identified 2,843 available rental resources.

Landlords should call (228) 594-3507 or 594-2996 locally, or toll-free (866) 877-6075, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., to list their available property. They also can leave a message during non-working hours and a FEMA representative will return their call.

Landlords can learn more about FEMA's direct pay program and register their available property by calling (866) 362-0742 or by visiting the CLC website at www.corplodging.com/femadap. Landlords calling to register their properties should be prepared to answer a few basic questions related to their rental unit, such as type of dwelling, number of bedrooms and baths, handicapped accessibility, pet policy, monthly rental amount and other possible items of interest to renters.

Individuals and families with Internet access can visit the FEMA Housing Portal Website which lists available resources at https://asd.fema.gov/inter/hportal/home.htm. People also can access the Housing Portal through the www.fema.gov website. Select 'Recover & Rebuild' at the top of the page, click on 'Find a place to stay' on the right, then click on 'Search for information about housing rental resources' at the bottom of the page.

Families can find additional resources by accessing www.mshousingsearch.org or the National Housing Locator Service at https://hudapps.hud.gov/nhls/, a site maintained by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

Web sites are updated continuously, so applicants should check often.

More than 10,000 Mississippi households continue to reside in FEMA travel trailers and mobile homes following Hurricane Katrina. Approximately 4,780 FEMA temporary housing occupants were renters prior to the disaster and will likely return to a rental unit.

Applicants are also encouraged to seek local resources that may not be included on the Housing Portal Web site. FEMA will work with applicants on a case-by-case basis to address their individual needs.

This additional effort by FEMA Individual Assistance caseworkers can help occupants achieve their permanent housing plan.

FEMA's Rental Assistance will cover monthly rental costs, not utilities or deposits.

FEMA coordinates the federal government's role in preparing for, preventing, mitigating the effects of, responding to, and recovering from all domestic disasters, whether natural or man-made, including acts of terror.

Last Modified: Friday, 22-Feb-2008 07:53:09