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 10/23). NLIHC also posts this information at our On the Home Front blog.
FEMA Data
FEMA released data on the number of owners and renters that have applied for their Housing Assistance Program. The data show the number of applicants, county, Zip code, severity of damage, and whether the applicant is an owner or renter. The NLIHC research team is currently examining the data. The Excel sheet includes data for all disasters in the nation. Renter data for Hurricane Harvey in Texas (DR- 4332) for example start on line 7473. Data input is ongoing.
USDA
USDA’s Rural Development (RD) is extending the moratoriums on property foreclosures in the Presidentially Declared Disaster (PDD) areas impacted by Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria. The foreclosure moratoriums will be extended until February 21, 2018 for Hurricane Harvey, March 9, 2018 for Hurricane Irma, and March 19, 2018 for Hurricane Maria. These extensions apply to new foreclosures as well as foreclosures already initiated. RD guidance outlined in “Assistance in Natural Disasters” and located in Chapter 18, Section 4, 7 CFR 3555.307 of the SFHGLP Handbook requires an initial moratorium on foreclosure actions within a PDD for 90 days following the date of each PDD declaration. Contact the USDA Rural Development Customer Service Center at (866) 550-5887 or the National Office at (202) 720-1452 for more information.
HHS
The Office of Community Services (OCS) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reminds public entities granted Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) funds that in disaster situations, LIHEAP grantees have the discretion to use the funds to address the disaster. OCS reminded LIHEAP grantees of its policy regarding disasters established in a July 3, 2012 Dear Colleague letter and in a July 15, 2010 FAQ. Allowable uses of LIHEAP funds to deal with crisis situations, particularly with respect to assistance for home energy related needs resulting from a hurricane or other natural disaster, include:
- Costs to temporarily shelter or house individuals in hotels, apartments, or other living situations in which homes have been destroyed or damaged
- Utility reconnection costs
- Repair or replacement costs for furnaces and air conditioners
- Insulation repair
- Crisis payments for utilities and utility deposits
- Purchase and installation of fans and air conditioners
- Purchase and installation of generators
California Wildfires
FEMA
By the Numbers: (as of 10/26)
- 3,314 Individual Assistance (IA) applications approved*
- $4,230,105 Individual & Household Program (IHP) approved*
- $2,268,952 Housing Assistance (HA) approved*
- $1,961,153 Other Needs Assistance (ONA) approved*
*Assistance dollars approved but not necessarily disbursed.
USDA
Households affected by the wildfires in Northern California who are not normally eligible for USDA’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) may be eligible for help buying food through USDA’s Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (D-SNAP) for one month. Residents who meet the requirements in seven affected counties are eligible. Current SNAP participants will receive additional benefits.
USDA also announced that it is making resources available to help rural people and communities recover from the effects of California wildfires. As with the other disaster declarations, USDA provides links to information about its various programs. Existing USDA Rural Development home loan borrowers may qualify for assistance with their loan payments.
Hurricane Maria
FEMA
Puerto Rico
By the Numbers: (as of 10/26)
- 223,375 Individual Assistance (IA) applications approved*
- $121,309,340 Individual & Household Program (IHP) approved*
- $103,443,501 Other Needs Assistance (ONA) approved*
- $336,240,256 Public Assistance Grants (PA) obligated as of 10/24, all of which are for Emergency Work (Categories A-B) **
*Assistance dollars approved but not necessarily disbursed.
**Funds made available to the state via electronic transfer following FEMA's final review and approval of Public Assistance projects.
More than a month after Hurricane Maria hit the island, schools in the Mayaguez and San Juan regions reopened. Classes have resumed at 143 schools, and students from the 24 schools that are not opening will be relocated to other schools in the area.
A FEMA media release indicates that more than 800,000 households impacted by Hurricanes Irma and Maria have registered for various types of disaster assistance. FEMA has distributed $114 million to individuals for housing and critical needs assistance, and SBA has approved $2.3 million in disaster assistance loans. More than $384 million has been awarded for public assistance to state and local organizations to perform emergency measures such as use of temporary generators, flood control, safety inspections, and debris removal. Included in the public assistance is $215 million to the electric utility and $70 million to the water utility. Public and nonprofit organizations were awarded $99 million.
U.S. Virgin Islands
By the Numbers: (as of 10/26)
- 2,720 Individual Assistance (IA) applications approved*
- $1,922,918 Individual & Household Program (IHP) approved*
- $415,797 Housing Assistance (HA) approved*
- $1,507,121 Other Needs Assistance (ONA) approved*
- $13,010,427 Emergency Work (Categories A-B) dollars obligated as of 10/24, all for emergency work (Categories A-B) **
*Assistance dollars approved but not necessarily disbursed.
**Funds made available to the state via electronic transfer following FEMA’s final review and approval of Public Assistance projects.
Survivors of both Hurricanes Maria and Irma have until December 18 to register for assistance with FEMA. The extension is at the request of the territory’s government in light of communications and power outages.
Owners of multi-family dwellings that need repairs who are willing to lease to eligible FEMA hurricane survivors may apply for the Multi-Family Lease and Repair Program (MLRP). The repairs or improvements do not need to be hurricane- or flood-related. The property must have three or more units and the unit must have been previously used as a rental unit. FEMA requires a lease of exclusive use of the property as temporary housing for a period of at least 18 months.
Local Perspectives
Volunteers of America (VOA) sent their first teams into Puerto Rico to assess needs among public and subsidized housing developments. The teams are finding the needs are severe and urgent because conditions are even more dire than expected. VOA reports that seniors in subsidized developments have little or no food and water, with some receiving one meal a day and others are receiving none. Many have only wet clothing and mattresses and are suffering from the trauma of the hurricane. Many of the seniors have chronic health conditions, mainly diabetes and high blood pressure, and haven’t been able to see a doctor or obtain insulin or other medications. Personal hygiene products like soap and toothpaste are hard to come by, and when they can be obtained, prices have risen 400%. Shockingly, these are the conditions in San Juan metro area; the VOA teams will be moving out toward more rural areas soon, where the needs are likely even more extreme.
While wealthier Puerto Rican residents are able to use generators, stay at luxury hotels, or leave the island altogether, the majority of the island still remains without power or access to communications systems. Puerto Rico was already struggling before the storm, and 40% of the population lived below the poverty line. Life for low-income families is becoming increasingly difficult during the slow recovery process.
Post Hurricane Maria, many Puerto Ricans have left the island to receive proper medical attention or find stability on the mainland. Hundreds of Puerto Ricans have arrived in Philadelphia and the surrounding suburbs where there is an Office of Emergency Management’s Disaster Services Center to provide assistance for newcomers. Migration from the island will continue, raising questions about how the exodus will affect poverty on the island long term.
Hurricane Irma
FEMA
Florida
By the Numbers: (as of 10/26)
- 708,893 Individual Assistance (IA) applications approved*
- $830,272,666 Individual & Household Program (IHP) approved*
- $566,034,011 Housing Assistance (HA) approved*
- $264,238,655 Other Needs Assistance (ONA) approved*
*Assistance dollars approved but not necessarily disbursed.
Georgia
By the Numbers: (as of 10/26)
- 8,553 Individual Assistance (IA) applications approved*
- $11,200,877 Individual & Household Program (IHP) approved*
- $8,082,541 Housing Assistance (HA) approved*
- $3,118,335 Other Needs Assistance (ONA) approved*
*Assistance dollars approved but not necessarily disbursed.
Survivors of a presidentially declared disaster like Hurricane Irma can receive free legal help if they are unable to pay rent. The Federal Emergency Management Agency, through an agreement with the Georgia Legal Services Program, Atlanta Legal Aid, and the Georgia Young Lawyers Division of the American Bar Association, provides free legal help. People may request assistance by calling 866-584-8027 or 404-526-8793, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Puerto Rico
By the Numbers: (as of 10/26)
- 668 Individual Assistance (IA) applications approved*
- $1,598,027 Individual & Household Program (IHP) approved*
- $835,400 Housing Assistance (HA) approved*
- $762,626 Other Needs Assistance (ONA) approved*
*Assistance dollars approved but not necessarily disbursed.
U.S. Virgin Islands
By the Numbers: (as of 10/26)
- 3,256 Individual Assistance (IA) applications approved*
- $3,896,412 Individual & Household Program (IHP) approved*
- $1,989,163 Housing Assistance (HA) approved*
- $1,907,249 Other Needs Assistance (ONA) approved*
- $25,056,945 Public Assistance Grants (PA) obligated as of 10/25, all of which are for Emergency Work (Categories A-B) **
*Assistance dollars approved but not necessarily disbursed.
**Funds made available to the state via electronic transfer following FEMA's final review and approval of Public Assistance projects.
Hurricane Harvey
FEMA
Texas
By the Numbers: (as of 10/26)
- 338,629 Individual Assistance (IA) applications approved*
- $1,287,800,070 Individual & Household Program (IHP) approved*
- $1,005,177,309 Housing Assistance (HA) approved*
- $282,622,761 Other Needs Assistance (ONA) approved*
- $465,230,373 Total Public Assistance Grants (PA) obligated as of 10/24**
- $402,292,248 Emergency Work (Categories A-B) obligated as of 10/24**
*Assistance dollars approved but not necessarily disbursed.
**Funds made available to the state via electronic transfer following FEMA's final review and approval of Public Assistance projects.
In Texas, FEMA has extended its Transitional Sheltering Assistance (TSA) program for another two weeks to November 7. The TSA program pays for survivors to stay at hotels while they look for long-term housing. As of October 19, there were 33,113 people checked into hotels through FEMA’s TSA program.
Local Perspectives
Although Hurricane Harvey affected people in Houston of every income level, ensuring an equitable recovery in a highly income-segregated city will require intentional policies. Families may have found temporary solutions, such as staying with a relative or friend, often have little time to search for long-term housing or filing an appeal for FEMA aid. An estimated 45% of affected Houston households earn less than $50,000 per year.
Because of Hurricane Harvey, many youth in Harris County’s juvenile justice system are dealing with homelessness and separation from family while following probation orders and attending hearings. The county Juvenile Probation Department referred 65 children impacted by the storm to the local nonprofit reVision for additional assistance. Probation officers and judges have been more lenient in light of the additional hardships.
The Texas Bar Foundation awarded Lone Star Legal Aid (LSLA) a one year grant of $76,854 to support LSLA’s efforts to provide legal services for those affected by Hurricane Harvey. The grant will support an attorney at their Beaumont office to focus on survivors’ legal issues such as FEMA appeals, evictions and lease terminations, and other short- and long-term issues. In announcing its receipt of the award, LSLA noted that, as part of LSLA’s representation of tenants who survived Hurricane Harvey, three temporary restraining orders have been granted against landlords attempting to evict tenants, providing in tenants time to retrieve their personal belongings from damaged apartments. Also, with so many individuals and families having lost their homes, the City of Port Arthur has resorted to establishing a military-style tent city to house residents.