BATON ROUGE, La. — August flood survivors who have a continued need for temporary disaster rental assistance must submit paperwork that demonstrates a disaster-related and financial need.
Survivors who receive the initial two months of rental assistance may use funds to reimburse expenses for an apartment, house, hotel or recreational vehicle while they work on long-term housing plans. The temporary assistance covers rental assistance for up to 18 months from the date of the declaration.
FEMA mails Continued Temporary Housing Assistance (CTHA) applications to some survivors two weeks after they initially receive two months of rental assistance. Survivors who want to continue temporary housing assistance and have not received a CTHA application should request one by calling the FEMA helpline at 800-621-3362 or TTY 800-462-7585. Those who use 711 or Video Relay Service may call 800-621-3362.
They should submit the following paperwork to FEMA to demonstrate an ongoing need for disaster-related housing assistance:
A completed CTHA application that FEMA provides.A copy of their lease.Receipts showing the proper use of federal disaster housing assistance.Current household income status.Any household financial obligations.CTHA extensions run for three-month periods not to exceed 18 months from the date of the declaration as long as the survivor remains eligible. Those who have questions about the process or the required documents may call the FEMA helpline.
It’s important for survivors to keep FEMA updated with contact information and housing status. They can update information online at disasterassistance.gov or by calling the FEMA helpline.
The state and FEMA encourage survivors to develop a permanent housing plan while they’re receiving temporary housing assistance. Survivors who have difficulty creating a plan may call the FEMA helpline.
