BATON ROUGE, La. — As Louisianans move forward from the August 2016 floods, their recovery includes rebuilding, repairing, finding new rentals or making plans to leave their temporary housing.
Manufactured housing units (MHUs), rental assistance and the transitional sheltering program (TSA) are temporary housing solutions provided by FEMA at the request of the state, are not intended to be permanent housing options for flood survivors.
FEMA routinely contacts survivors who participate in all forms of temporary disaster assistance housing programs. Survivors who wish to continue receiving housing assistance need to keep their contact up to date with FEMA and abide by all conditions related to their form of housing assistance.
Manufactured Housing Units
The temporary housing program expires at the end of the period for assistance, 18 months from the Aug. 14, 2016 disaster declaration date. During that time, FEMA will evaluate a survivor’s eligibility to remain in the MHU every 30 days.
A survivor’s eligibility to remain in an MHU is based upon two factors: adherence to the license agreement and verifiable progress toward a long-term housing solution.
Verifiable progress toward long-term housing means that a survivor can demonstrate they are repairing the pre-disaster residence, purchasing a new residence, or searching for a rental unit. This means FEMA will be visiting every MHU and looking at each survivor’s repair progress on their damaged dwelling. FEMA will also attempt to provide guidance as the survivor works toward a feasible long-term housing plan.
Survivors may have their eligibility to remain in an MHU revoked if they do not work on a long-term housing plan, violate any part of the license agreement, or do not cooperate with FEMA during any scheduled meetings. Survivors who are deemed ineligible for an MHU but refuse to vacate will be subject to a monthly penalty fee.
Rental Assistance
Rental assistance is available for up to 18 months from the disaster declaration. Survivors who wish to receive rental assistance beyond two months must submit a Continued Temporary Housing Assistance (CTHA) application.
FEMA mails the CTHA application to survivors two weeks after their first two months of rental assistance. Along with the application, survivors should submit a copy of their lease, any applicable receipts showing the proper use of rental assistance, current household income status, and any financial obligations for the household.
CTHA extensions are available in three-month periods not to exceed the 18-month period for assistance. Survivors who have questions about the extension process or did not receive their CTHA application should call the FEMA helpline at 800-621-3362.
Transitional Sheltering Assistance
The TSA program allows eligible survivors to stay in participating hotel or motel rooms that are billed directly to FEMA. It is a short-term housing option, and eligible survivors should be actively searching for a long-term housing solution.
FEMA will contact eligible survivors prior to the program deadline to inform them if their stay has been extended. The current check-out date for the TSA program is Feb. 10, 2017.
