Oct 1, 2006 thru Dec 31, 2006 Performance Report

Grant Number:
B-06-DG-22-0001

Grantee Name:
State of Louisiana

Grant Amount:
$6,210,000,000.00

Grant Status:
Active

Submitted By:
No Submitter Found		 Obligation Date:
05/16/2006

Award Date:
05/09/2006

Contract End Date:


Reviewed By HUD:
Submitted - Await for Review


Disasters:
Declaration Number
FEMA-DR-1603-LA
FEMA-DR-1607-LA


Plan Description:
Hurricane Katrina hit the State of Louisiana on August 29, 2005, and Rita slammed into the State on September 24, 2005. They were the second and third Category 5 hurricanes of the 2005 hurricane season. The storms were both deadly and costly to communities throughout the Gulf and particularly destructive to Louisiana. More than 1,100 persons lost their lives in Louisiana; approximately 18,000 businesses were destroyed; roads, schools, public facilities, medical services were washed away; and thousands of people were forced to relocate. The storms destroyed or severely damaged an unprecedented number of homes and rental properties, displacing hundreds of thousands of Louisianans. Of the rental and owner occupied units that are now uninhabitable, a substantial portion were occupied by low income households. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that the hurricanes made about 0.2 percent of the housing stock in the nation uninhabitable (CBO, Letter to Chairman, September 29, 2005). President Bush’s Office of Gulf Coast Rebuilding estimates of the impact of the storms on the housing stock ranges from 338,038 (homeowners sustaining some damage) to over 599,703 (including rental units as well as owner occupied housing). An estimated 127,969 owner-occupied homes received major or severe damage, while 210,069 received minor damage. The breakdown for rental units was 133,367 severely damaged and 128,298 with minor damage. The economic impacts of business losses and structural damage are compounded by unemployment, reduction of public services, costs of cleanup and recovery, damage to crops and livestock and public sector budget deficits. According to the LRA the total value of lost businesses and commercial property ranges from $25 - $29 billion. The estimate for damage to infrastructure including roads, bridges, utilities and debris removal is $15 - $18 billion. Over 20,000 businesses are thought to have been affected with 90% of those affected businesses receiving catastrophic damage. This represents ten times the number of affected businesses in other states impacted by the hurricanes. According to another estimate by the U.S. Census Bureau, 18.9% of Louisiana businesses fell within a FEMA designated damage zone, with 17.4% of the State’s businesses located in a damage zone classified as “flooded”.


Recovery Needs:
Priorities for recovery address urgent community recovery needs including redevelopment and revitalization of housing and infrastructure and the economic base in the affected areas, and the need to to eliminate the blighting effects resulting from the storms of 2005. The storms severely affected the infrastructure of many of our communities, some of which continue to suffer from the lack of electricity, telephone and gas service. The total impact on roads, bridges and utilities, including debris removal, is estimated at $15 to 18 billion. As of October 17, 2005, parishes that were the hardest hit have large percentages of service outage, such as 42% in Orleans, over 63% in Cameron, 69% in Plaquemines and 100% in St. Bernard. Telephone service is still spotty with 60% of Orleans, 100% of St. Bernard, and 24% of Plaquemines customers with no service. These parishes represent those whose infrastructure requires extensive repairs or needs to be completely rebuilt before power can be restored. Only $405 million is available through FEMA and insurance proceeds to cover the projected $1.89 billion needed to restore electricity, gas and telecommunications infrastructure as referenced in our complete Action Plan. The Louisiana Recovery Authority (LRA) tags the cost of restoring levees to pre-Katrina levels at $3 billion, which excludes the projected $20 to 30 billion necessary for Category 5 hurricane protection and coastal restoration. The impact on the economy also creates many urgent need to restore sectors such as the tourism and services sectors which dominate the Orleans metropolitan area, the seafood industry which was heavily impacted as well as other agricultural sectors such as the timber and sugar cane production. There is an initial indication that between 25 and 40 percent of homeowners in the City of New Orleans had flood insurance. FEMA figures show that there were 127,969 owner-occupied homes that received major or severe damage, 25,183 or 19.7% of which were without insurance. Contrast that figure with the total of 133,367 rental units which sustained major or severe damage, and that 126,568 or 94.9% were not insured. Borrowers with no insurance may face extended unemployment and very likely experience greater difficulty in rebuilding their lives. Lastly, about 1,700 homes, or about one-third of the severely and repetitively damaged homes in America, are in Louisiana. These are structures that have suffered damages of $1,000 or more on at least four occasions or suffered damages of more than 50 percent of their value on two or more occasions. Estimates are available for the City of New Orleans on the impact of Hurricane Katrina on housing occupied by low to moderate income residents which are defined as those that are below 80% of the average median income (AMI). Those estimates produced by the Greater New Orleans Community Development Center show that an estimated 65% of the owner occupied units that are damaged or destroyed belonged to low to moderate income families. Low to moderate income families rented 89% of the rental units that were damaged or destroyed. An estimated total of 119,770 owner occupied and rental units serving the low to moderate income population or 88.7% were damaged or destroyed.


Overall This Report Period To Date
Total Projected Budget from All Sources N/A 9,259,016,156
Total CDBG Disaster Recovery Grant Funds Budgeted N/A 5,732,400,000
Obligated CDBG DR Funds 842,678,099.41 1,028,667,808.07
Expended CDBG DR Funds 33,987,103.91 83,536,701.69
Match Contributed 0 0
Program Income Received 0 0



Progress Toward Required Numeric Targets
Requirement Required To Date
Minimum Overall Benefit Percentage 50 0.93
Minimum Non-Federal Match 0 0
Limit on Public Services 931,500,000 0
Limit on Admin/Planning 1,242,000,000 3,535,817.32
Limit on State Admin 310,500,000 0


Overall Progress Narrative:
With CDBG Disaster Recovery funding, the State of Louisiana and the Office of Community Development have been able to develop a host of programs in three major areas: housing; infrastructure; and economic development. The main focus of this quarter’s activity was on planning, program design, establishment of the administrative structures to implement the programs, starting up the bridge loan program, and the homeowner assistance program. The State of Louisiana has made great progress towards setting up the programs, tools and mechanisms necessary to ensure steady and efficient movement towards recovery.



Activities


Grantee Activity ID:
Admin (SAAD)

Activity Category:
Administration

Activity Status:
Under Way

Responsible Organization:
Office of Community Development, Disaster Recovery Unit 		Projected Start Date:
05/09/2006

Projected End Date:
05/09/2016

National Objective:
N/A


  This Report Period To Date
Total Projected Budget from All Sources N/A 161,100,000
Total CDBG Disaster Recovery Grant Funds Budgeted N/A 161,100,000
Obligated CDBG DR Funds 3,629,822.16 5,121,369.59
Expended CDBG DR Funds 856,713.02 2,291,627.07
Match Contributed 0 0
Program Income Received 0 0


Performance Measures
 
This Report Period
Cumulative Actual Total / Expected
  Low Mod Total Low Mod Total
No Performance Measures Found


Activity Description:
Supports the administrative work conducted to implement disaster recovery projects funded with these resources. This includes technical assistance as well as general administrative costs.


Location Description:


Activity Progress Narrative:
The Disaster Recovery Unit (DRU) of the Office of Community Development (OCD), Division of Administration, was created in the aftermath of the 2005 Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The purpose of this unit is to administer the CDBG Disaster Recovery funds approved by Congress on December 23, 2005. Personnel were hired from around the United States with experience in all aspects of the CDBG program. Managers and staff were hired in the areas of homeownership housing, multifamily/rental/supportive housing, infrastructure, economic development, policy/reporting, legal, and financial and auditing. Employees of the Office of Community Development, CDBG Program, are available for training new employees. In addition, OCD provided CDBG boot camp training in partnership with the Council of State Community Development Agencies. The Division of Administration’s resources are available for expertise in budgeting, accounting, reporting, contract review and legal matters and we are in close contact with the Legislative Auditors in our State. At present, there are 37 people hired in the Disaster Recovery Unit, 10 of which were hired during the quarter. Approval was received in September 2006, for an additional 49 positions, currently there 23 vacancies. The administration budget will be used to fund salaries, related benefits, travel, operating supplies and services, professional services and inter agency transfers. Meetings are being held throughout the impacted parishes for citizen awareness and input of the needs that our funds can address. The state follows the State Procurement Code and all other sub recipients are required to follow Title 24 Part 84 and Part 85. Monitoring plans are being developed for the new disaster recovery activities funded under this program.


Activity Location:
Address City State Zip
1201 North Third Street   Baton Rouge Louisiana 70802


Other Funding Sources Budgeted - Detail
Match Sources Amount
No Other Match Funding Sources Found


Other Funding Sources Amount
No Other Funding Sources Found



Grantee Activity ID:
Bldg Code (HBCE)

Activity Category:
Code enforcement

Activity Status:
Planned

Responsible Organization:
OCD in partnership with the Department of Public Safety 		Projected Start Date:
11/01/2006

Projected End Date:
11/01/2007

National Objective:
Slums and Blight


  This Report Period To Date
Total Projected Budget from All Sources N/A 11,390,000
Total CDBG Disaster Recovery Grant Funds Budgeted N/A 11,390,000
Obligated CDBG DR Funds 6,863,883 6,863,883
Expended CDBG DR Funds 0 0
Match Contributed 0 0
Program Income Received 0 0


Performance Measures
 
This Report Period
Cumulative Actual Total / Expected
  Low Mod Total Low Mod Total
# of housing units 0 0 0 0/0 0/0 0/2


Activity Description:
Without special assistance being provided to local governments, it is expected that a major impediment to housing development will be the lack of building, electrical and plumbing inspectors and permit processing staff. In addition, architects and builders will need inspectors and plan reviewers to help communities adapt to the new State Uniform Construction Code and to interpret the latest available advisory base flood elevations. Therefore, the State has budgeted $11,390,000 for the hiring and training of such staff for local government over a number of years, based on the numbers of damaged/destroyed units in each parish. It is expected that this amount will fund at least 40 field inspectors and plan reviewers, as well as a limited number of support staff. The State will also support the expansion of code enforcement capacity by sponsoring additional training opportunities for inspectors, engineers and architects. While building code enforcement by local authorities will be supported by permitting and inspection fees in the long run, this initial CDBG funding is necessary to immediately expand enforcement capacity to expedite the construction of safer and stronger homes where the storm impact was most concentrated and building activity will be fervent in coming months. Until the activity is started, the exact number of buildings and housing units that are brought up to code is unknown.


Location Description:
Disaster affected parishes


Activity Progress Narrative:


Activity Location:
Address City State Zip
1201 North Third Street   Baton Rouge Louisiana 70804


Other Funding Sources Budgeted - Detail
Match Sources Amount
No Other Match Funding Sources Found


Other Funding Sources Amount
No Other Funding Sources Found



Grantee Activity ID:
Bridge Loan-UN (EBLP)

Activity Category:
Econ. development or recovery activity that creates/retains jobs

Activity Status:
Planned

Responsible Organization:
Office of Community Development, Disaster Recovery Unit 		Projected Start Date:
05/09/2006

Projected End Date:
05/09/2007

National Objective:
Urgent Need


  This Report Period To Date
Total Projected Budget from All Sources N/A 95,000,000
Total CDBG Disaster Recovery Grant Funds Budgeted N/A 95,000,000
Obligated CDBG DR Funds 0 95,000,000
Expended CDBG DR Funds 931,883.58 931,883.58
Match Contributed 0 0
Program Income Received 0 0


Performance Measures
 
This Report Period
Cumulative Actual Total / Expected
  Low Mod Total Low Mod Total
# of Businesses 0 0 0 0/0 0/0 644/547
# of Persons benefitting 0 0 0 0/0 0/0 0/0


Activity Description:
Louisiana Bridge Loan Program This program provides temporary six-month working capital loan guarantees to owners of small businesses with less than 100 employees. The program is being planned therefore information on performance levels is not available. There are three different releases of Bridge Loan funds. Each release varies slightly in how it is administered with. The first bridge loan program is for $10 million, the second totals $30 million and the last installment totals $55 million. The Bridge loan program has no leverage requirement, therefore, information on the amount of private funds generated by the businesses is unavailable. The number of businesses reported could include businesses that have more than one bridge loan.


Location Description:
In Hurricanes Katrina and Rita affected parishes.


Activity Progress Narrative:
HUD approved the Bridge Loan Program May 9, 2006, as a part of the State’s Initial Action Plan. On February 10, 2006, a Cooperative Endeavor was entered into between the Louisiana Public Facilities Authority (LPFA), Louisiana Economic Development (LED), and the Division of Administration (DOA), which obligated $30,000,000 in State CDBG funds to be utilized in the Extended Bridge Loan program. That agreement was amended, on June 20, 2006, to include $10,000,000 to cover the cost of the Emergency Bridge Loan program that was originally funded by LED, as well as $50,000,000 to be utilized in the Enhanced Bridge Loan Program. Prior to the Enhanced Loan program being implemented, a change in geographical location of beneficiaries was requested through the submittal of a substantial amendment that was approved by HUD on September 15, 2006. This amendment revised the allocation language from a 50% allocation to the thirteen most impacted parishes, to a minimum of 50% will be allocated to the thirteen most impacted parishes, and up to 50% allocated to the other twenty-four impacted parishes. This change transpired due to the demand for loan guarantees amounting to $8,820,765 in the most impacted areas. Also, during the previous quarter, the Extended BL made a total of 325 loan guarantees totaling $28,696,080 in a 37 parish area. An estimated 3,872 jobs were reported as being created or retained as a result of the three Bridge Loan Programs. The Enhanced BL lender proposal deadline was October 30, 2006. Once an inter agency agreement is signed with Louisiana Office of Economic Development (LED), the selected lenders will begin actively implementing the program.


Activity Location:
Address City State Zip
1201 North Third Street   Baton Rouge Louisiana 70802


Other Funding Sources Budgeted - Detail
Match Sources Amount
No Other Match Funding Sources Found


Other Funding Sources Amount
No Other Funding Sources Found



Grantee Activity ID:
Piggyback (HTXC)

Activity Category:
Construction of new housing

Activity Status:
Planned

Responsible Organization:
OCD in partnership with the Louisiana Housing Finance Agency 		Projected Start Date:
09/01/2006

Projected End Date:
09/01/2009

National Objective:
Low/Mod


  This Report Period To Date
Total Projected Budget from All Sources N/A 311,690,000
Total CDBG Disaster Recovery Grant Funds Budgeted N/A 311,690,000
Obligated CDBG DR Funds 0 0
Expended CDBG DR Funds 0 0
Match Contributed 0 0
Program Income Received 0 0


Performance Measures
 
This Report Period
Cumulative Actual Total / Expected
  Low Mod Total Low Mod Total
# of housing units 0 0 0 0/0 0/0 0/0
# of Households benefitting 0 0 0 0/0 0/0 0/0


Activity Description:
The LIHTC-CDBG program (referred to as the “Piggyback” program in the Louisiana Recovery Authority Action Plan) supports affordability for especially low-income Louisianans in properties receiving Gulf Opportunity Zone Low Income Housing Tax Credits. The Program also supports the production of three types of eligible properties through four types of funding mechanisms. The OCD/CDBG funds will be awarded to sponsors who apply for and receive GO Zone Credits under the QAP. LHFA’s application form for the QAP will include the ability to apply for the OCD / CDBG funding discussed herein. GO Zone Credit funding and CDBG funding will be based on a self-scored application verified by LHFA, and using the scoring formula contained in the Qualified Allocation Plan developed by the Louisiana Housing Finance Agency to allocate the GO Zone Low Income Housing Tax Credits. In order to be eligible for CDBG funding, applications must meet all requirements and must achieve a minimum score that varies according to project type. Applicants under the QAP are not required to apply for any OCD / CDBG funds.


Location Description:
Disaster affected parishes that are in the Gulf Opportunity Zone


Activity Progress Narrative:
The State’s CDBG funds will provide about $440M in gap financing and Project Based Rental Assistance in order to assist 33 projects that will create more than 5,700 new rental units in storm damaged areas. The LIHTC-CDBG Piggyback Program will combine the resources of Gulf Opportunity Zone Tax Credits, CDBG funding, Section 8 project based housing vouchers, and leveraged private investments to generate new or restored rental units. In addition to the 33 projects that received CDBG gap financing/and or Project Based Rental Assistance, the LHFA also awarded GO ZONE Tax Credits to another 10 projects accounting for approximately 1158 additional units. The program will support the development of mixed-income communities and ensure the restoration of rental housing in the most heavily impacted parishes. Eligible applicants are developers applying for Low Income Housing Tax Credits. The primary method of award will be to sponsors who apply for and receive GO Zone credits under the 2007/2008 LIHTC allocation rounds administered by the Louisiana Housing Finance Agency. The CBDG funds will be allocated among three pools identified as Mixed-Income, Additional Affordability, and Public Housing Authority Redevelopments. In most cases, these mixed income developments will contain at least 60% market rate units and at least 20% deeply targeted units – affordable to households earning less than 40% of the Area Median Income. Funding will be available in the form of either project based rental assistance, gap financing, or a combination thereof. The program was available with the rollout of the 2007/2008 GO Zone LIHTC Qualified Allocation Plan on the schedule below. A Program Description has been approved by OCD and LRA. The plan was presented to developers at a series of LHFA Developers Meetings in August and September of 2006. The application deadline for the 2007 Tax Credit Applications was October 20, 2006 with reservation of credits made on December 13, 2006. All of the 43 developments assisted with Tax Credits will provide at least 5 percent of their units for Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH). Many will provide more PSH units than the required set aside. This effort represents the first major development of PSH in the State of Louisiana and the very first PSH units to be provided in mixed income settings.


Activity Location:
Address City State Zip
No Activity Locations Found


Other Funding Sources Budgeted - Detail
Match Sources Amount
No Other Match Funding Sources Found


Other Funding Sources Amount
No Other Funding Sources Found



Grantee Activity ID:
Planning (PLAN)

Activity Category:
Planning

Activity Status:
Under Way

Responsible Organization:
OCD, Louisiana Recovery Authority (LRA) 		Projected Start Date:
05/09/2006

Projected End Date:
05/09/2008

National Objective:
N/A


  This Report Period To Date
Total Projected Budget from All Sources N/A 14,875,341
Total CDBG Disaster Recovery Grant Funds Budgeted N/A 9,500,000
Obligated CDBG DR Funds 2,541,881.81 3,244,190.25
Expended CDBG DR Funds 541,881.81 1,244,190.25
Match Contributed 0 0
Program Income Received 0 0


Performance Measures
 
This Report Period
Cumulative Actual Total / Expected
  Low Mod Total Low Mod Total
No Performance Measures Found


Activity Description:
Governor Blanco established the LRA by Executive Order KBB 2005-63, on October 17, 2005, to plan for the recovery and rebuilding of Louisiana. Executive Order 2005-63 was issued by Governor Blanco in response to the need for new federal resources to be coordinated, targeted and leveraged with traditional resources to maximize their impact as well as improve efficiency and avoid duplication of efforts. The executive order created the LRA, which answers to a board of directors, to develop short- and long-term priorities for recovery. The LRA is charged with securing funding and other resources, establishing priorities and strategies for redevelopment, leading long-term community and regional planning efforts and ensuring transparency and accountability. It also assists in community planning and coordinate resource allocations as it pertains to issues that may include, but are not limited to the following: 1) economic and workforce development; 2) environmental quality and review; 3) temporary and permanent housing; 4) healthcare; 5) infrastructure and transportation; 6) education; 7) fiscal stability; 8) family services; and 9) law and order.


Location Description:


Activity Progress Narrative:
Through the work of its various committees and task forces, the Louisiana Recovery Authority (LRA) has developed a series of strategic priorities and recovery plans in the areas of housing, infrastructure and economic development and played the lead role in the development of recovery policy and initiatives in the areas of housing, infrastructure, and economic development. These also overlap into policy and planning in areas of health care, social services, education, and other subjects. The majority of LRA’s work on the development, passage, submission and implementation of CDBG action plans has been tied to policies on housing, infrastructure and economic development -- the bedrocks of recovery. During this most recent quarter, the LRA has focused heavily on economic and workforce development program development and implementation; infrastructure recovery programs and implementation issues, including education infrastructure design considerations; homeowner and rental housing program policy and implementation oversight issues; and community and regional planning efforts related to recovery priorities. Regarding the long-term planning process, the LRA collaborated with the AIA and APA to develop rebuilding principles, upon which the LRA initiated a planning effort called Louisiana Speaks. This is a multifaceted planning initiative designed to address planning at every level. This extends from community planning such as the Unified New Orleans Plan (the LRA has supported UNOP through the recruitment of $3 million in private funding from the Rockefeller Foundation and the commitment of $2 million in CDBG funds for outreach, including communications and input with the New Orleans diaspora) to other parish-wide comprehensive, long-term recovery strategies in collaboration with FEMA in the most severely impacted parishes. Lastly, Louisiana Speaks has engaged a team of top local and national planning experts to gather public input and support the development of a regional vision for South Louisiana that will guide recovery and long-term growth. Over the last year, Louisiana Speaks has surveyed more than 2,500 Louisiana citizens, including residents who are back home and those who are displaced, and brought together nearly 1,000 stakeholders for a series of hands-on workshops. During day-long sessions, participants provided critical and creative input for shaping policy on coastal restoration and storm protection; community growth and transportation infrastructure; and economic development and equity. During the most recent quarter, Louisiana Speaks has launched for the public at large to weigh in on recovery priorities resulting from the year-long input process that has occurred throughout the affected areas. The resulting long term recovery strategic plan will be published at the conclusion of this process. Funds from the planning allocation are also being used to support recovery planning capacity at the parish level, to assist in the implementation of recovery plans, development of production and printed materials related to Louisiana Speaks public input and final products, and funding for parish planner to be trained on implementation of the Smart Code. Because the availability and affordability of insurance in coastal Louisiana has been an impediment to recovery, the LRA also continues to explore strategies for reducing the burden of insurance on all those affected by the storms. Oversight, accountability, and fraud prevention are a primary concern for the LRA Board. The LRA Audit Committee meets monthly to monitor recovery funds through reports from the Legislative Auditor, the State Inspector General, federal inspectors general staff, and other independent accounting firms engaged by various entities of the state.


Activity Location:
Address City State Zip
No Activity Locations Found


Other Funding Sources Budgeted - Detail
Match Sources Amount
No Other Match Funding Sources Found
 
Subtotal Match Sources 0


Other Funding Sources Amount
Private Funds 5,375,341
 
Total Other Funding Sources 5,375,341



Grantee Activity ID:
Road Home-LMI (HAOO)

Activity Category:
Payment for compensation and incentives (Louisiana only)

Activity Status:
Under Way

Responsible Organization:
OCD and ICF Emergency Management, LLC as the contract administrator. 		Projected Start Date:
05/30/2006

Projected End Date:
05/30/2010

National Objective:
Low/Mod


  This Report Period To Date
Total Projected Budget from All Sources N/A 2,826,934,404
Total CDBG Disaster Recovery Grant Funds Budgeted N/A 2,139,189,915
Obligated CDBG DR Funds 380,773,507.44 434,051,019.11
Expended CDBG DR Funds 18,506,596.45 46,954,021.62
Match Contributed 0 0
Program Income Received 0 0


Performance Measures
 
This Report Period
Cumulative Actual Total / Expected
  Low Mod Total Low Mod Total
# of Properties 0 0 7 0/0 0/0 8/73,800
# of housing units 0 0 7 0/0 0/0 8/0
# of Households benefitting 7 0 7 8/0 0/0 8/0


Activity Description:
The Road Home Homeowner Assistance program provides financial compensation and advisory services will be available for homeowners who wish to: Repair – incentives to promote rehabilitation Rebuild – financial incentives to reconstruct on the same site if repair is infeasible or not economically viable; Buyout/Relocate – purchase of the home by the program in exchange for an agreement to resettle in Louisiana; or Sell – voluntary sale of the home with no expectation of resettlement in the state. The allocation for this program represents uses an estimated 60% benefit to low and moderate income citizens. This estimate is based on the Road Home registry data. That data shows that 76.2% of the 107,713 registrants earned at or below $50,000. Since the registry did not collect data on household size, it is impossible to estimate the number of low income households. Therefore a conservative estimate (that approached the above figure) was used. This allocation amount and estimated performance will be continually modified as data on the actual applicants is collected. The amount allocated to LMI includes $8,229,915 of Road Home start up costs that funded program design, the Road Home Registry call center and other start up costs.


Location Description:
The program will serve homeowners in at least 16 permanent and mobile homeowner assistance centers in disaster affected parishes and other areas in and out of state where concentrations of displaced citizens are located.


Activity Progress Narrative:
Prior to the implementation of the program the Office of Community Development (OCD), through the assistance of the Louisiana Recovery Authority and housing consultants began developing the program design of The Road Home program (TRH). A total of $1 million was allocated to this activity. In order to finalize major aspects of the program design, the State required more information. The OCD opened The Road Home Registry on March 8, 2006 to collect such data. Of particular interest at this point was the need to collect contact information on displaced homeowners for future outreach efforts when TRH Program was fully implemented. The Registry was designed to allow both telephone and online registration. The information requested included the homeowner’s name, current address and the location of the affected home, phone numbers, mortgage information, the status of any insurance settlements and any FEMA or U.S. Small Business Association (SBA) applications or assistance. A total of $2 million was allocated to support the registry. Through a rigorous selection process, ICF International was selected on June 2, 2006 to administer TRH Homeowner Assistance Program on behalf of the Office of Community Development. The bulk of the expenditures, approximately $10 million, related to The Road Home during this time went to fund the start up of the program. Part of this start up involved the establishment of a pilot program to test out the program design and procedures. On July 12, 2006, The Road Home program began a pilot to schedule consultation appointments with a small sample of homeowners who had pre-registered with The Road Home Housing Registry. During these appointments, housing professionals verified necessary documentation and assisted homeowners with any questions they may have had regarding their options under The Road Home program. During the pilot, these homeowners moved through the entire Road Home process, including funding of any applicable awards, in order to refine the policies and procedures for a fully scaled program. The registry closed August 21, 2006 when the full-scale Road Home program opened. To deliver this service to homeowners, The Road Home contractor opened ten Housing Assistance Centers (HACs) throughout the affected region on this date. Each center is equipped with functioning voice and data systems, furniture, equipment, trained employees, and security. Homeowners establish appointments at HACs to begin the processing of their Road Home application. Housing Assistance Centers are open at the following locations: East Baton Rouge; Orleans; Calcasieu; Jefferson; St. Bernard; St. Tammany; Cameron; Plaquemines; Terrebonne; Vermilion; Houston; New Orleans East. As of December 31, 2006, The Road Home had received 91,933 applications, held 53,799 appointments, and calculated and verified 27,560 awards valued at approximately $1.95 billion. The average award based on the amount calculated was $77,829. Of the 27,560 homeowner benefits calculated at least 11,540 were LMI households and 5,784 were elderly beneficiaries. Of the 90 Road Home applicant closings 7 were documented as low to moderate income recipient households. The funding figures associated with this program represent 60% of the total amount allocated and spent for the Road Home program for this grant award. While the State estimates that 60% of the homeowners benefiting from the program will be at or below 80% of the area median income, this figure represents an educated guess. It will be refined as actual figures are realized in the operation of the program.


Activity Location:
Address City State Zip
1201 North Third Street   Baton Rouge Louisiana 70802


Other Funding Sources Budgeted - Detail
Match Sources Amount
No Other Match Funding Sources Found
 
Subtotal Match Sources 0


Other Funding Sources Amount
HMGP 687,744,489
 
Total Other Funding Sources 687,744,489



Grantee Activity ID:
Road Home-UN (HAOO)

Activity Category:
Payment for compensation and incentives (Louisiana only)

Activity Status:
Under Way

Responsible Organization:
OCD and ICF Emergency Management, LLC as the contract administrator. 		Projected Start Date:
05/30/2006

Projected End Date:
05/03/2010

National Objective:
Urgent Need


  This Report Period To Date
Total Projected Budget from All Sources N/A 1,884,622,936
Total CDBG Disaster Recovery Grant Funds Budgeted N/A 1,426,126,610
Obligated CDBG DR Funds 253,849,005 289,367,346.12
Expended CDBG DR Funds 12,337,730.96 31,302,681.08
Match Contributed 0 0
Program Income Received 0 0


Performance Measures
 
This Report Period
Cumulative Actual Total / Expected
  Low Mod Total Low Mod Total
# of Properties 0 0 83 0/0 0/0 95/49,200
# of housing units 0 0 83 0/0 0/0 95/49,200


Activity Description:
The Road Home Homeowner Assistance program provides financial compensation and advisory services will be available for homeowners who wish to: Repair – incentives to promote rehabilitation Rebuild – financial incentives to reconstruct on the same site if repair is infeasible or not economically viable; Buyout/Relocate – purchase of the home by the program in exchange for an agreement to resettle in Louisiana; or Sell – voluntary sale of the home with no expectation of resettlement in the state. The allocation for this program represents uses an estimated 40% benefit higher income citizens. This estimate is based on the Road Home registry data. That data shows that 23.8% of the 107,713 registrants earned more than $50,000. Since the registry did not collect data on household size, it is impossible to estimate the number of low income or higher income households. Therefore a conservative estimate (that approached the above figure) was used. This allocation amount and estimated performance will be continually modified as data on the actual applicants is collected. The funding allocation for this activity includes $5,486,610 of housing start up costs including costs associated with the Road Home registry call center, initial program design and other costs.


Location Description:
The program will serve homeowners in at least 16 permanent and mobile homeowner assistance centers in disaster affected parishes and other areas in and out of state where concentrations of displaced citizens are located.


Activity Progress Narrative:
Prior to the implementation of the program OCD, through the assistance of the Louisiana Recovery Authority and housing consultants, began developing the program design of The Road Home program. A total of $1 million was allocated to this activity. In order to finalize major aspects of the program design, the State required more information. The OCD opened The Road Home Registry on March 8, 2006 to collect such data. Of particular interest at this point was the need to collect contact information on displaced homeowners for future outreach efforts when The Road Home Program was fully implemented. The Registry was designed to allow both telephone and online registration. The information requested included the homeowner’s name, current address and the location of the affected home, phone numbers, mortgage information, the status of any insurance settlements and any FEMA or U.S. Small Business Association (SBA) applications or assistance. A total of $2 million was allocated to support the registry. Through a rigorous selection process, ICF International was selected on June 2, 2006 to administer The Road Home Homeowner Assistance Program on behalf of the Office of Community Development. The bulk of the expenditures, approximately $10 million, related to The Road Home during this time went to fund the start up of the program. Part of this start up involved the establishment of a pilot program to test the program design and procedures. On July 12, 2006, The Road Home program began a pilot to schedule consultation appointments with a small sample of homeowners who had pre-registered with The Road Home Housing Registry. During these appointments, housing professionals verified necessary documentation and assisted homeowners with any questions they may have had regarding their options under The Road Home program. During the pilot, these homeowners moved through the entire Road Home process, including funding of any applicable awards, in order to refine the policies and procedures for a fully scaled program. The registry closed on August 21, 2006 when the fully scaled Road Home program opened. To deliver this service to homeowners, The Road Home contractor opened ten Housing Assistance Centers (HACs) throughout the affected region on this date. Each center is equipped with functioning voice and data systems, furniture, equipment, trained employees, and security. Homeowners establish appointments at HACs to begin the processing of their Road Home application. Currently there are 12 Housing Assistance Centers are open at the following locations: Calcasieu; Cameron; East Baton Rouge; Jefferson; Orleans; Plaquemines; St. Bernard; Terrebonne; Vermilion; St. Tammany; and Houston. As of December 30, 2006, The Road Home had received and recorded 91,933 applications, held 55,207 appointments, and calculated 27,560 awards and mailed out 22,405 benefit award letters.


Activity Location:
Address City State Zip
No Activity Locations Found


Other Funding Sources Budgeted - Detail
Match Sources Amount
No Other Match Funding Sources Found
 
Subtotal Match Sources 0


Other Funding Sources Amount
HMGP 458,496,326
 
Total Other Funding Sources 458,496,326



Grantee Activity ID:
Small Loan (ESLG)

Activity Category:
Econ. development or recovery activity that creates/retains jobs

Activity Status:
Planned

Responsible Organization:
OCD in partnership with local nonprofit community based lenders 		Projected Start Date:
09/15/2006

Projected End Date:
09/15/2009

National Objective:
Low/Mod


  This Report Period To Date
Total Projected Budget from All Sources N/A 38,000,000
Total CDBG Disaster Recovery Grant Funds Budgeted N/A 38,000,000
Obligated CDBG DR Funds 38,000,000 38,000,000
Expended CDBG DR Funds 0 0
Match Contributed 0 0
Program Income Received 0 0


Performance Measures
 
This Report Period
Cumulative Actual Total / Expected
  Low Mod Total Low Mod Total
# of buildings (non-residential) 0 0 0 0/0 0/0 0/0
# of Businesses 0 0 0 0/0 0/0 0/0
# of Persons benefitting 0 0 0 0/0 0/0 0/0
# of Permanent Jobs Created 0 0 0 0/0 0/0 0/0


Activity Description:
The Small Firm Recovery Loan and Grant Program is proposed as a program to target assistance to small firms that are deemed to have a chance to survive, contribute to the economy, and maintain and create jobs. Funds would support low-cost loans on flexible terms, small grants to reimburse for tangible losses, and technical assistance to support the firms receiving the financial support, some of which may not qualify for or have received bank and/or Small Business Administration (SBA) loans. Firms assisted would be those expected to survive and pay back the funds if given an opportunity for a loan. Firms will be asked to provide a plan showing how they would use the loans, grants, and technical assistance to survive and move ahead. Louisiana plans to implement a program that is similar to that developed and used in New York after the terror attacks on 9/11. Through a Request for Proposals (RFP), Louisiana will seek proposals from nonprofits and Community Development Financial Institutions that would be used as intermediaries to provide working capital loans on flexible terms and small grants to reimburse for tangible losses to small firms, including nonprofits, and technical assistance services to companies receiving loans and grants. Results after 9/11 showed that technical assistance linked to the loans and grants was found to be important for the success of the small firms and subsequent repayment of the loans. Among other things, potential contractors seeking to offer assistance to small firms through this program will define in their RFP response information about the amount of funding to be dedicated to the loan category, grant category, or for technical assistance. Firms to be assisted would be those located in the parishes in southeast and southwest Louisiana most affected by Katrina and Rita, including but not limited to those with substantial infrastructure damage.


Location Description:
Disaster affected parishes


Activity Progress Narrative:


Activity Location:
Address City State Zip
1201 North Third Street   Baton Rouge Louisiana 70804


Other Funding Sources Budgeted - Detail
Match Sources Amount
No Other Match Funding Sources Found


Other Funding Sources Amount
No Other Funding Sources Found



Grantee Activity ID:
Small Rental (HSRP)

Activity Category:
Rehabilitation/reconstruction of residential structures

Activity Status:
Planned

Responsible Organization:
OCD in conjunction with ICF International 		Projected Start Date:
09/01/2006

Projected End Date:
09/01/2010

National Objective:
Low/Mod


  This Report Period To Date
Total Projected Budget from All Sources N/A 492,700,000
Total CDBG Disaster Recovery Grant Funds Budgeted N/A 492,700,000
Obligated CDBG DR Funds 128,520,000 128,520,000
Expended CDBG DR Funds 812,298.09 812,298.09
Match Contributed 0 0
Program Income Received 0 0


Performance Measures
 
This Report Period
Cumulative Actual Total / Expected
  Low Mod Total Low Mod Total
# of Properties 0 0 0 0/0 0/0 0/0
# of housing units 0 0 0 0/0 0/0 0/0
# of Households benefitting 0 0 0 0/0 0/0 0/0


Activity Description:
Before the disaster, a large portion of very low income working families resided in single-family homes, “doubles” and small, multi-family buildings with ten or fewer units that were owned and operated by small-scale landlords. A sizeable number of these properties were underinsured or uninsured and no longer available for occupancy. The State proposes to provide gap financing for the repair of an estimated 10,500 small rental units in the partially funded program, and an estimated 18,000 rental housing units when the program is fully funded. The primary purposes of the gap financing are to enable repairs to occur and to limit the amount of debt (and therefore debt service) required for the properties, so that the owners will be able to charge affordable rents. The program will, on a competitive basis, provide zero interest gap financing to restore units that are rented at affordable rates. Higher funding amounts up to $100,000 per unit are available to qualified landlords who agree to offer lower rents, with the maximum amount of subsidy going for larger rental units where rents are affordable for families with incomes at or below 50% area median income.


Location Description:
Disaster affected parishes.


Activity Progress Narrative:
Prior to the disastrous 2005 hurricane season, a large segment of low income working families resided in 1 to 4 unit rental buildings, including single-family homes, duplexes, three and four unit dwellings that were owned and operated by small-scale landlords. In the wake of the storms, it became clear that an unprecedented number (approximately 82,000) of multi-family rental properties had been destroyed or severely damaged. Replacement of the damaged or destroyed rental housing in the most heavily damaged hurricane areas is vital to the return of a strong workforce, and is a keystone of Louisiana’s economic recovery. Small Rental Property Program eligibility will be limited to the 13 most affected parishes: Acadia, Calcasieu, Cameron, Iberia, Jefferson, Orleans, Plaquemines, St. Bernard, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, Terrebonne, Vermilion and Washington. The Louisiana Recovery Authority (LRA) and the Office of Community Development (OCD) approved the program on December 18, 2006. The Small Rental Property Program will provide incentives for the repair of an estimated 18,000 rental housing units. The primary purpose of these incentives are to enable repairs to occur and to limit the amount of debt required on the properties, enabling rental property owners to charge affordable rents. In exchange for accepting financial incentives, property owners will be required to accept limitations on rents and incomes of tenants. Assisted units must be affordable to households earning less than 80%, 65%, or 50% of the Area Median Income and the amount of incentives available will correspond to the three tiers of AMI, with the highest amount per unit being available to property owners who agree to offer the lowest rents. The Small Rental Program will consist of multiple competitive funding rounds providing zero interest, no payment forgivable loans due only upon resale of the property or failure to comply with the agreed upon restrictions of rents and household incomes during the specified commitment period. Aggregate funding amounts up to $100,000 per unit are available to qualified property owners who agree to offer lower rents. The Road Home’s Small Rental Property Program plans to begin accepting applications for its first competitive round January 29, 2007.


Activity Location:
Address City State Zip
1201 North Third Street   Baton Rouge Louisiana 70802


Other Funding Sources Budgeted - Detail
Match Sources Amount
No Other Match Funding Sources Found


Other Funding Sources Amount
No Other Funding Sources Found



Grantee Activity ID:
Small TA (ETAS)

Activity Category:
Econ. development or recovery activity that creates/retains jobs

Activity Status:
Planned

Responsible Organization:
OCD in partnership with small business development technical assistance providers. 		Projected Start Date:
09/15/2006

Projected End Date:
09/15/2009

National Objective:
Low/Mod


  This Report Period To Date
Total Projected Budget from All Sources N/A 9,500,000
Total CDBG Disaster Recovery Grant Funds Budgeted N/A 9,500,000
Obligated CDBG DR Funds 0 0
Expended CDBG DR Funds 0 0
Match Contributed 0 0
Program Income Received 0 0


Performance Measures
 
This Report Period
Cumulative Actual Total / Expected
  Low Mod Total Low Mod Total
# of buildings (non-residential) 0 0 0 0/0 0/0 0/0
# of Businesses 0 0 0 0/0 0/0 0/0
# of Persons benefitting 0 0 0 0/0 0/0 0/0
# of Permanent Jobs Created 0 0 0 0/0 0/0 0/0


Activity Description:
Firms to be assisted would be those located in the parishes in southeast and southwest Louisiana most affected by Katrina and Rita, including but not limited to those with substantial infrastructure damage. Because of the impacts of the storms, many firms need assistance in dealing with changed circumstances. Small firms in niche sectors such as fisheries, tourism, or the cultural economy may require unique assistance that can be provided by nonprofits with a proven track record within that sector. Through this program, technical assistance will be provided in areas such as business management, strategic planning, accounting, insurance, marketing, and legal. Similar to a technical assistance program created in New York after 9/11, Louisiana will seek proposals from intermediaries, which would provide some form of technical assistance. The technical assistance may be provided to existing small firms, to entrepreneurs/persons seeking to start a new business to locate within and take advantage of opportunities in the most affected parishes, and/or provided in other ways that help address the unique needs for local/regional business recovery. The contracting agency will retain the right to select all or some of the applicants, reject any or all proposals, select all or fewer than all responding to the RFP as part of a consortia or partnership, allocate funds in any amount depending on the number and quality of the proposals, and negotiate any part(s) of any proposal. Respondent organizations will be encouraged to develop partnerships with other groups to provide a team that might serve a specific geographic area or specific type of company or industry.


Location Description:
Disaster affected parishes.


Activity Progress Narrative:
The Small Firm Technical Assistance Program was approved by HUD on September 15, 2006. Draft guidelines and Requests for Proposals (RFPs) were sent to Technical Assistance providers during the month of October. Discussions were held with the Louisiana Department of Economic Development (LED) and the Louisiana Recovery Authority (LRA) to determine performance measures and the review process for submittal of RFPs. In November a Review Board was initiated to review the proposals requested, the following month the intermediaries were determined and contacted and training detailing how to monitor sub recipients was provided by LED and other agencies.


Activity Location:
Address City State Zip
1201 North Third Street   Baton Rouge Louisiana 70804


Other Funding Sources Budgeted - Detail
Match Sources Amount
No Other Match Funding Sources Found


Other Funding Sources Amount
No Other Funding Sources Found



Grantee Activity ID:
Tourism (ECRT)

Activity Category:
Tourism (Louisiana only)

Activity Status:
Planned

Responsible Organization:
OCD and Louisiana Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism 		Projected Start Date:
09/15/2006

Projected End Date:
06/15/2008

National Objective:
Urgent Need


  This Report Period To Date
Total Projected Budget from All Sources N/A 28,500,000
Total CDBG Disaster Recovery Grant Funds Budgeted N/A 28,500,000
Obligated CDBG DR Funds 28,500,000 28,500,000
Expended CDBG DR Funds 0 0
Match Contributed 0 0
Program Income Received 0 0


Performance Measures
 
This Report Period
Cumulative Actual Total / Expected
  Low Mod Total Low Mod Total
# of Permanent Jobs Created 0 0 0 0/0 0/0 0/0
Total Visitor Spending 0 0 0 0/0 0/0 0/0


Activity Description:
In 2004, the State of Louisiana hosted 24.6 million visitors, of which 76 percent were from outside of the State. Those 24.6 million visitors spent $9.9 billion in the State and contributed $600 million in state and local tax revenues (Source: Travel Industry Association of America). Out-of-state tourists come to Louisiana as a result of marketing and promotion of Louisiana’s many cultural and natural assets, family recreation destinations, and various special events Louisiana hosts each year. South Louisiana is the largest draw for the State’s tourism and convention business. Prior to the storms, tourism was the second largest industry in the State in terms of employment (Louisiana Office of Tourism), and the cultural economy was the fastest growing industry in the State (Source: Louisiana: Where Culture Means Business, Mt. Auburn Associates, July 31, 2005). The tourism and cultural industries combined sustained 260,000 jobs for Louisiana residents. This funding will be used allocated to local tourism agencies and bureaus to promote recovery tourism their areas. Activities to be funded include such as advertising and event promotions.


Location Description:
Disaster affected parishes.


Activity Progress Narrative:
The Tourism and Marketing Program was approved by HUD on September 15, 2006. A draft Cooperative Endeavor Agreement was developed by the Louisiana Department of Recreation and Tourism (CRT), following which OCD and CRT entered into an inter agency agreement to implement the Tourism and Marketing program. The program will award $28,500,000 to 17 tourism agencies throughout the affected area. Approximately 75% of all sub receipts agreements are in the continued process of contractual reviews with the projected completion of those reviews to occur in the near future.


Activity Location:
Address City State Zip
No Activity Locations Found


Other Funding Sources Budgeted - Detail
Match Sources Amount
No Other Match Funding Sources Found


Other Funding Sources Amount
No Other Funding Sources Found