Rep. Velázquez to Introduce Super Storm Sandy Legislation; Original Co-Sponsors Sought

Representative Nydia Velázquez (D-NY) plans to introduce a package of legislation to address housing needs related to Super Storm Sandy once Congress reconvenes after the Easter recess. NLIHC has endorsed the bills and urges Members of Congress to sign on as original cosponsors.Public Housing Disaster Preparedness ActThe bill would require public housing agencies (PHAs) to develop and implement standardized disaster response and relief plans to assist tenants in the case of a natural disaster. Among the bill’s provisions are requirements that PHAs inform residents of preparation and evacuation protocols and their rights and responsibilities in the case of a natural disaster. The bill would require that this information be provided at move-in, annually, and prior to a disaster. The bill would also require PHAs to have a backed-up list of all public housing households, in which a tenant would have the choice to note whether someone living in his or her household has special needs and may require additional assistance following a disaster. The bill requires PHAs to include details on their protocols for renting vacant units to local victims of natural disasters who are not public housing residents, and allows for rent abatements to impacted public housing residents immediately following a disaster, as provided under each PHA’s rules, leases, or other Federal, State, or local law. Furthermore, PHAs would be disallowed from evicting residents as soon as an impending natural disaster is announced through the conclusion of PHA disaster and emergency relief efforts, unless an eviction was related to criminal charges, sex offenders, or drugs.Safely Sheltering Disaster Victims ActThe bill would allow for $50 million of disaster Community Development Block Grant dollars appropriated in the Super Storm Sandy supplemental appropriations bill (see Memo, 2/1) to be used for tenant-based rental assistance vouchers for families displaced by Super Storm Sandy.Raising Employment in Affordable Communities and Homes (REACH) ActThe bill would require PHAs that oversee at least 500 units of rental housing and vouchers and the recipients of more than $200,000 in HUD housing and community development assistance, including entities that receive disaster Community Development Block Grant dollars, to develop Section 3 action plans. Section 3, Economic Opportunities for Low and Very Low Income Persons, requires HUD funding recipients to provide, “to the greatest extent feasible,” job training, employment, and contracting opportunities for residents. The bill would require covered entities to develop a Section 3 action plan that outlines their intended outreach efforts, planned training programs, relevant employment opportunities, and a timeline for planned implementation.For more information on the bills, please contact Lauren Eardensohn at [email protected] or (202) 225-2361.