NLIHC members made it possible for NLIHC to respond swiftly to the 2017 hurricanes and wildfires with the establishment of the Disaster Housing Recovery Coalition (DHRC) - now consisting of more than 720 local, state, and national organizations - to promote a just and equitable housing recovery for those most in need. NLIHC staff and members with experience in disaster housing recovery going back to Hurricane Katrina and subsequent storms share best practices for the equitable application of federal resources to each new disaster. The DHRC’s frequent national conference calls and email updates provide those in the field with real-time and actionable information across multiple disaster zones and hurricane and wildfire seasons. Support equitable disaster housing recovery by becoming an NLIHC member today!
Just one example of the DHRC’s actions is how its members pooled together their experience and knowledge to address FEMA’s high rate of denials for its Individuals and Households Assistance Program (IHP) in Puerto Rico. Data provided by FEMA in April indicated that over 663,000 Hurricane Maria IHP applicants were denied assistance. DHRC legal aid partners in Puerto Rico pointed to the lack of formal title documents for proof of ownership as a reason for many of these denials coupled with FEMA’s lack of understanding of the Island’s probate-estate laws that recognized ownership without titles.
Although more prevalent in Puerto Rico, the lack of formal titles for long-time residents was not unique to the island. DHRC partners in Texas drafted an alternative affidavit as proof-of-ownership for Hurricane Harvey recovery. FEMA not only approved this document but committed to reassess all previous denials based on ownership title issues. With assistance from the DHRC Texas partners and others who worked with FEMA after Hurricane Katrina and Superstorm Sandy, DHRC members in Puerto Rico collaborated with a FEMA Office of Chief Counsel attorney to draft a similar sworn statement in English and Spanish reflective of Puerto Rico’s probate-estate laws. FEMA approved the sworn statement as an acceptable proof-of-ownership document without the need for notarization.
The DHRC continues to work to ensure that the potentially hundreds of thousands eligible for but denied FEMA assistance because of title issues are provided another opportunity to reapply. NLIHC works with members of Congress to secure action by FEMA, as in this letter from eight U.S. senators to FEMA Administrator Brock Long. A letter from the 720 DHRC members was also sent to the FEMA administrator, outlining continued challenges at the Disaster Recovery Centers in Puerto Rico for applicants submitting the alternative sworn statement. The DHRC has called on FEMA to directly notify all Hurricane Maria IHP applicants previously denied assistance due to title challenges of this opportunity to reapply.
Want to support NLIHC’s continued disaster housing recovery response in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence? Join NLIHC today or help grow the network. Share how you are involved in NLIHC’s Disaster Housing Recovery Coalition this week or let us know you joined. Please tweet @NLIHC and use #MembersAreTheKey, #JoinNLIHC, and/or #NLIHCMember. For more ideas on how to spread the word during Membership Month, visit: http://nlihc.org/membership-month
Have questions about Membership Month or want to check the status of your membership? Please contact NLIHC’s Field Team at: [email protected].
View the approved sworn statement for Puerto Rico at: https://bit.ly/2p8UQor
View the letter from the U.S. senators to FEMA Administrator Brock Long at: https://bit.ly/2xvvPIy
View the DHRC letter to the FEMA administrator at: https://bit.ly/2NlV8qr