NLIHC Endorsed Bill on Disaster Assistance Eligibility Reforms Reintroduced in the Senate

By Oliver Porter, Disaster Housing Recovery Intern, NLIHC

On April 27, the NLIHC-endorsed “Housing Survivors of Major Disasters Act” was reintroduced by Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA). Twelve of the senator’s Democratic colleagues co-sponsored the bill, which would reform post-disaster housing documentation requirements so that disaster survivors face fewer administrative hurdles to recovery.

Under current Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) requirements, disaster survivors seeking home repair or replacement assistance must provide FEMA proof of ownership of the disaster damaged home. If a home was inherited informally, important documents destroyed during a disaster, or if a disaster survivor doesn’t have quick access to copies of the documents, these requirements can leave survivors stranded without a clear path to recovery. The “Housing Survivors of Major Disasters Act” would remedy this problem by requiring that driver’s licenses, pay stubs, utility bills, and other more commonly available documentation be accepted as ways to demonstrate residency. The bill would also allow applicants to self-declare eligibility for aid under penalty of perjury. Together, these reforms would close a crucial gap that many survivors fall through, helping families stabilize faster and avoid being left behind during recovery.

The proposed bill serves as a companion bill to Representative Adriano Espaillat’s (D-NY) identical bill in the House, H.R.426, which was introduced last January. Senator Warren and Representative Espaillat have introduced this legislation to their respective chambers during each of the last four Congresses.

The importance of removing this barrier gained national prominence after Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico in 2017. Following the disaster, approximately 77,000 households across the island were improperly denied FEMA assistance over title documentation issues. Although exceptions were later made for informal housing arrangements and documents lost in the hurricane, these were inconsistently enforced and did not result in reconsideration of the earlier denials. In the wake of this crisis, NLIHC and the NLIHC-led Disaster Housing Recovery Coalition (DHRC) helped support development of early versions of the “Housing Survivors of Major Disasters Act.” They urge Congress to pass the bill to this day.

Importantly, the bill would also allow individuals who were previously denied assistance under the old requirements to reopen their cases using the new documentation requirements. This offers a critical recourse for survivors who were wrongfully denied assistance during prior years. 

In a press release announcing the bill’s introduction, NLIHC President and CEO Renee M. Willis said, “For decades, title documentation barriers have wrongfully prevented many of the lowest-income and most marginalized disaster survivors from accessing FEMA assistance despite owning and residing in disaster-damaged homes. A family that lives in a mobile home park or a home built by their grandparents deserves the same type of housing assistance offered to all disaster survivors—it is time that FEMA program rules reflect this. The ‘Housing Survivors of Major Disasters Act’ addresses these issues, providing greater flexibility to ensure disaster survivors receive the assistance for which they are eligible. NLIHC and our Disaster Housing Recovery Coalition of more than 900 organizations urge Congress to quickly advance this bill.”

NLIHC and the DHRC will continue to monitor the progression of the “Housing Survivors for Major Disasters Act” and highlight its importance during engagements with Congress.