The Bush administration announced today that federal housing assistance for more than 120,000 families displaced as a result of Hurricane Katrina - and still living in trailers - will receive assistance through March, 2009. Assistance was scheduled to end Aug. 31.
ACORN has been pushing for months to get FEMA to extend assistance to hurricane survivors. Hundreds of ACORN members protested at FEMA headquarters in Washington March 12 and sent e-mails to members of Congress.
In addition, starting Sept. 1, the Department of Housing and Urban Development will take over responsibility from FEMA for managing housing for hurricane evacuees. HUD Secretary Alphonso Jackson said the aid extension would cost more than $1 billion.
This transfer of authority is long overdue. HUD is experienced in managing housing while FEMA clearly is not.
Starting March 1, 2008, evacuees receiving assistance will be required to make small monthly payments, starting at $50 per month and increasing to $100 monthly in June 2008.
Gwendolyn Adams, co-chair of the Lower 9th Ward chapter of ACORN, said: "Charging rent for people to live in FEMA trailers is unfair. No one chose to have their home deluged and destroyed. Folks are working hard against all sorts of barriers to return and rebuild...and this is yet another obstacle."
The next step is for Congress to pass the Gulf Coast Hurricane Recovery Act, H.R. 1227 introduced by Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA), Chair of the Financial Services Committee Subcommittee on Housing and Community Opportunity, which mandates policy and procedural changes to speed the return of Gulf Coast residents and federal funds to the region, support the rebuilding effort.
It is time to give Gulf Coast residents the help they need to get on with their lives.