(Washington, DC)- Today, Representative Al Green joined fellow Democratic Members of the Financial Services Committee and other House Democrats in highlighting the federal government’s inadequate response to Hurricane Katrina housing shortages.

With the help of ACORN, several hundred New Orleans evacuees now scattered around the country came to the hearing to express their despair at the lack of affordable housing options available.  The two panels focused on the housing challenges faced by the New Orleans evacuees and the Gulf Coast region. 

Fair housing programs are an integral part of addressing the housing problems arising from Hurricane Katrina.  In the Administration’s most recent budget, however, the money allocated for fair housing programs is cut from 46 million to 45 million dollars.  According to the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), this amount is not only intended to address the fair housing violations that occur every year around the country but also the agency’s “ongoing efforts to address fair housing concerns in areas affected by Hurricane Katrina.”

“In short, there is no additional money allocated to dealing with the housing shortage the residents of the Gulf Coast are facing as a result of Katrina.  This lack of needed housing funding must be addressed.  With the increased need of evacuees, we can not afford decreased resources,” commented Green.

FEMA’s hotel deadline passed Monday February 6th and although some evacuees were granted extensions, many people were forced out of the only housing they had.  Of the 5,000 rooms to be vacated, 1,000 of them were in the greater Houston area.  Some of those persons forced to leave hotel rooms have applied for from assistance from FEMA; yet, many have received no definitive answers and remain trapped in the system.

“I am insistent on the point that FEMA and HUD must do better.  We need a long-term strategy that will incorporate the various housing needs facing evacuees.  We must provide these men, women, and children with shelter from the storm that continues to impact their lives,” added Green.

“We must remember that New Orleans and the Gulf Coast were more than playgrounds for the well-off, well-heeled, and well to do.  They were also the homes of the least, the last, and the lost.  They too have the right to return home,” said Green.

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