NLIHC President and CEO Diane Yentel sent a letter to leaders of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee calling for the inclusion of language requiring FEMA to publish immediate guidance regarding compliance with duplication of benefits requirements, increase transparency of the Public Assistance (PA) program, and provide full reimbursement to state and local governments for PA emergency protective measures. A lack of clarity and transparency from FEMA has slowed efforts to protect people experiencing homelessness from the pandemic. Fully reimbursing localities for emergency protective measures would better cover the costs for homeless service providers to move individuals experiencing homelessness, individuals living with disabilities, and others living in congregate environments into non-congregate shelter.
The letter, sent on behalf of NLIHC and its Disaster Housing Recovery Coalition, specifically asks for guidance allowing funds to be used in combination with existing federal assistance programs. Such use of funds can be barred by current federal prohibitions on combining funding from different sources to pay for the same activity or assistance. In addition, the letter asks that language raising the current federal cost-share for non-congregate sheltering (75%) to 100% be included in the next coronavirus stimulus package. This not only would alleviate the need for state/local governments and providers to navigate a complex system of grant restrictions and rules but would also ensure that these jurisdictions have the tools they need to ensure the most vulnerable members of our society are safe.
The letter also requests that Congress pass legislation to improve FEMA’s confusing and daunting Individual Assistance (IA) process, which provides support to households recovering after a natural disaster. The DHRC-supported “Housing Survivors of Major Disasters Act” (H.R. 2914) passed unanimously out of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee in February 2020 and would reform the IA program to allow survivors to navigate the application process more easily. While IA has not been activated in connection with the coronavirus pandemic, it is active in several states and territories in connection with other natural disasters and is expected to see heavy use during the 2020 hurricane season, which began on June 1.
“Congress must take every action to save lives and prevent outbreaks of coronavirus among people experiencing homelessness and other individuals living in congregate settings,” wrote Diane in the letter. “Including these key FEMA provisions in the next coronavirus relief package would help state and local governments meet the urgent and severe health and housing needs of people experiencing homelessness and other marginalized survivors and reform long-standing barriers to FEMA assistance.”
Read the full text of the letter at: https://bit.ly/2zXCqQJ
Read the full text of the Housing Survivors of Major Disasters Act at: https://bit.ly/3gZAojC