Sept. 14, 2011
BATON ROUGE, La. - The State of Louisiana is accepting public comments on a plan to transfer $6 million from the Small Rental Property program to the Nonprofit Rebuilding Pilot program to complete construction of the houses currently in the pilot program.
The NRPP was established in 2009 with $20 million in Community Development Block Grant funds to repair and rebuild owner-occupied homes damaged by hurricanes Katrina or Rita, particularly for those homeowners whose homes remained unfinished due to hardship, unanticipated circumstances or falling victim to contractor fraud. The program budget was based on early estimates of total costs, but extended construction schedules due to other disasters, as well as the increased cost of construction in the program areas, increased the cost of fully completing the program and serving the eligible homeowners.
The State intends to use the additional funds to complete the pilot, and will build on best practices determined in the process. The Small Rental Property program funds are available for transfer without impacting rental recipients; all eligible SRPP applicants will be funded.
The Action Plan Amendment, which outlines all eligibility criteria and grant calculations, can be accessed online here: http://www.doa.louisiana.gov/cdbg/dr/plans/Draft_AP2-APA19_PubComment.pdf.
The formal public comment period for the plan begins today, September 14, 2011 and runs until September 23 at 5 p.m. After accepting public comments, the state will submit the plan to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for final federal approval.
Citizens, community leaders and elected officials can access the plans and submit comments online by visiting http://www.doa.louisiana.gov/cdbg/dractionplans.htm and opening "Action Plan Amendment 19." A copy of the plans can be requested by calling (225) 219-9600.
Members of the public can submit comments several ways:
- Using the online form at http://www.doa.louisiana.gov/cdbg/dractionplans.htm;
- Emailing them to ocd@la.gov;
- Mailing them to Disaster Recovery Unit, P.O. Box 94095, 70804-9095, Attn: Paul Catrou; or
- Faxing them to the attention of Paul Catrou at (225) 219-9605.
The Disaster Recovery Unit within the Office of Community Development is dedicated to helping Louisiana's citizens recover from hurricanes Katrina, Rita, Gustav and Ike. As the state's central point for hurricane recovery, the OCD-DRU manages the most extensive rebuilding effort in American history, working closely with local, state and federal partners to ensure that Louisiana recovers safer and stronger than before.
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