Housing Solutions For Hurricane Ike Victims
Updated on March 20, 2009
In the months since the Hurricane Ike disaster, local, state and federal officials have worked in partnership to find temporary housing for displaced Texans. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and its partners continue to implement solutions for renters and homeowners who have been displaced.
Some of the solutions for displaced Texans are:
RENTAL ASSISTANCE AND HOME REPAIR
A logical resource for temporary housing is the use of existing rental units. The use of these units helps the local economy and provides better housing for those working to recover. However, in some of the impacted areas, rental units are few or nonexistent.
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Statewide, more than 8,400 rental units are listed on the FEMA Housing Portal Web and additional units continue to be identified daily, thanks to the joint efforts of many, including local landlords, AmeriCorps volunteers, FEMA housing specialists, and other state and federal agencies. More than 7,900 rental units have been identified in the impacted area. The portal Web site can be found at asd.fema.gov/inter/hportal/home.htm.
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Users can search the database by city, county, ZIP code, number of bedrooms and cost. A variety of property sizes and prices are available. Portal users do not have to be eligible for FEMA housing assistance to use the site, but FEMA and state officials are urging anyone who has received FEMA rental assistance and is still looking for a place to live to use the database. A FEMA Rental Resources Hotline allows landlords to list their properties. The landlord hotline number is 1-866-766-6086. It is open 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. CST.
- FEMA has paid nearly $398 million to homeowners and renters for rental assistance and emergency home repairs.
SBA LOW-INTEREST LOANS
To rebuild their homes to pre-disaster conditions, homeowners can apply to the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) for low-interest disaster loans to cover uncompensated losses for up to $200,000 for physical damage to their primary residence. SBA is the federal government's primary source of money for the long-term rebuilding of disaster-damaged private property.
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Thus far, SBA has approved 9,687 applications and more than $587 million to Texas homeowners, renters and businesses that suffered losses (including uninsured personal property losses) from Hurricane Ike.
- For more information on SBA low-interest disaster loans, individuals may contact SBA's Customer Service Center by calling toll-free 1-800-659-2955 or by emailing SBA at disastercustomerservice@sba.gov. Hearing impaired individuals may call toll-free 1-800-877-8339 or visit SBA's Web site at www.sba.gov/services/disasterassistance. Additionally, disaster victims may now go online to file an SBA application for disaster loan assistance. The Electronic Loan Application (ELA) is accessible via SBA's secure Web site at disasterloan.sba.gov/ela.
DISASTER HOUSING ASSISTANCE PROGRAM-IKE (DHAP-IKE)
FEMA is partnering with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) on DHAP-Ike, a rental assistance program that will provide temporary rental payments and case-management services to help thousands of families displaced by Hurricane Ike. The program started Nov.1, 2008, and will continue for 17 months. FEMA is funding and HUD is administering the program, which draws on the resources and expertise of local public housing authorities to locate rental resources. The program supplements, but does not replace, existing FEMA and SBA housing solutions. FEMA, not HUD, will determine eligibility for DHAP-Ike. The first step in accessing this program, therefore, is to register with FEMA as described below.
How DHAP-Ike works...
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Applicants whose homes are unlivable or were destroyed as a result of Hurricane Ike register with FEMA by calling FEMA's toll-free number, 1-800-621-FEMA (3362), or TTY 1-800-462-7585. Residents should register with FEMA only once; if they have already applied for assistance and are eligible for housing assistance, they will automatically be considered for the DHAP-Ike program. Both renters and homeowners may be eligible for the Disaster Housing Assistance Program.
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FEMA determines eligibility for DHAP-Ike under the guidelines of the Individual and Households Program.
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Those who receive letters from FEMA informing them of their eligibility should call HUD's Regional Call Center (RCC) toll-free at 1-866-373-9509 to discuss their current housing needs. The RCC representative will direct the family to the appropriate Public Housing Authority, which will assist the family with finding housing, if needed, and provide direct rental assistance to the landlord of the individual's choice, and start case management.
- Nearly 8,000 applicants are now in rental units under the DHAP-Ike program.
FEMA leads and supports the nation in a risk-based, comprehensive emergency management system of preparedness, protection, response, recovery, and mitigation, to reduce the loss of life and property and protect the nation from all hazards including natural disasters, acts of terrorism, and other man-made disasters.
Last Modified: Friday, 20-Mar-2009 13:17:12 EDT