HUD SECRETARY EXPLAINS HOW NEW HOUSING PROGRAM WILL ASSIST DISPLACED FAMILIES
Up to 18 months of rental assistance available

HOUSTON - Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Alphonso Jackson today met with Houston Mayor Bill White, local Public Housing Authorities, and visited with families displaced by Hurricane Katrina. Jackson thanked White for the city's disaster relief efforts and provided details on the nation's transitional housing plan for evacuees.

Under the Administration's Katrina Disaster Housing Assistance Program (KDHAP), HUD will provide up to 18 months of temporary rental housing to tens of thousands of families displaced by Hurricane Katrina. HUD and a network of approximately 2,500 public housing authorities will jointly administer the Katrina Disaster Housing Assistance Program.

"In light of the magnitude of this disaster, President Bush charged the Federal government with providing an unprecedented level of support to evacuees," said Jackson. We must move these evacuees in to decent, safe and sanitary housing as quickly as possible. The support of local government and local landlords is essential to the success of this program. President Bush is committed to ensuring that no one displaced by these storms is denied housing opportunities because of their race or nationality."

'We are working closely with HUD to provide housing with a sense of dignity for people who have been through much,' said White. 'We want to put evacuees in a position where they can make good choices about their future.'

Evacuees must register through FEMA by calling 1-800-621-FEMA or applying online for Federal disaster assistance. It is important that individuals and households promptly update their FEMA registration information with any change of address or new telephone numbers so they may receive assistance in a timely and direct manner. Displaced families will decide where they would like to move and FEMA will assist in relocation. Upon arriving in their new community, the evacuated family will meet with the local public housing authority that would help them to find a place to live.

Families will be given a rental subsidy based on 100 percent of Fair Market Rent in that community to which they relocate. Eligible families include: displaced public housing residents; Section 8 voucher holders; other HUD-assisted households; and, pre-disaster homeless individuals who were directly affected by the hurricane.

HUD is the nation's housing agency committed to increasing homeownership, particularly among minorities; creating affordable housing opportunities for low-income Americans; and supporting the homeless, elderly, people with disabilities and people living with AIDS. The Department also promotes economic and community development as well as enforces the nation's fair housing laws. More information about HUD and its programs is available on the Internet and espanol.hud.gov.

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