The following is a review of additional housing recovery developments related to Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria, and the California wildfires since last week’s Memo to Members and Partners (for the article in last week’s Memo, see 7/2). NLIHC also posts this information at our On the Home Front blog.
Federal Response
HUD
On July 3, NLIHC President and CEO Diane Yentel sent a letter on behalf of the Disaster Housing Recovery Coalition (DHRC) of more than 700 national, state, and local organizations to HUD Secretary Ben Carson and Deputy Secretary Pam Patenaude urging them to issue a Federal Register Notice for the next allocation of CDBG-Disaster Recovery funds with robust transparency and accountability requirements for states and local communities administering disaster recovery programs. The letter includes recommendations to ensure the effective and equitable allocation of limited resources and to provide rigorous oversight.
The New York Times published a story about a New York City family struggling to find permanent affordable housing after their anticipated last day at a local hotel. The family of four was sent to a group hotel, where they will be living in a one-bedroom apartment and required to sign in and out and abide by a 9:00 p.m. curfew.
Online Tool for Sharing Stories of Disaster Survivors with Elected Officials: Personal stories from disaster survivors can make a compelling case for the development of more responsive federal policies and programs now and in the future. The DHRC is collecting these accounts from survivors of the hurricanes and wildfires of 2017 and from their advocates through a brief online form. Stories can be submitted in both English and Spanish. Clients can opt to remain anonymous.