| 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: Reviewed and Approved |
| Declaration Number |
|---|
| FEMA-DR-1603-LA |
| FEMA-DR-1607-LA |
| 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”. |
| 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 | 185,989,708.66 | 185,989,708.66 |
| Expended CDBG DR Funds | 49,549,597.78 | 49,549,597.78 |
| Match Contributed | 0 | 0 |
| Program Income Received | 0 | 0 |
| Requirement | Required | To Date |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Overall Benefit Percentage | 50 | 0.15 |
| Minimum Non-Federal Match | 0 | 0 |
| Limit on Public Services | 931,500,000 | 0 |
| Limit on Admin/Planning | 1,242,000,000 | 2,137,222.49 |
| Limit on State Admin | 310,500,000 | 0 |
| 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 on the start up of 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. |
| 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 | 1,491,547.43 | 1,491,547.43 |
| Expended CDBG DR Funds | 1,434,914.05 | 1,434,914.05 |
| Match Contributed | 0 | 0 |
| Program Income Received | 0 | 0 |
|
This Report Period |
Cumulative Actual Total / Expected | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low | Mod | Total | Low | Mod | Total | |
| No Performance Measures Found | ||||||
| Supports the administrative work conducted to implement disaster recovery projects funded with these resources. This includes technical assistance as well as general administrative costs. |
| 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, Rita, and Wilma. 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, econonomic 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 27 people hired in the Disaster Recovery Unit. Approval was received in September, 2006, for an additional 49 positions. The administration budget will be used to fund salaries, related benefits, travel, operating supplies and services, professional services and interagency 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 subrecipients 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. |
| Address | City | State | Zip |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1201 North Third Street | Baton Rouge | Louisiana | 70804 |
| 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 | 95,000,000 | 95,000,000 |
| Expended CDBG DR Funds | 0 | 0 |
| Match Contributed | 0 | 0 |
| Program Income Received | 0 | 0 |
|
This Report Period |
Cumulative Actual Total / Expected | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low | Mod | Total | Low | Mod | Total | |
| # of Businesses | 0 | 0 | 644 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 644/547 |
| # of Persons benefitting | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/0 |
| 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. |
| In Hurricanes Katrina and Rita affected parishes. |
| Although no expenditures were made in the Bridge Loan (BL) program during this quarter, a significant amount of activity in the program did occur. The Bridge Loan Program was previously approved on May 9, 2006 by HUD, as 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. On June 20, 2006, that agreement was amended to include $10,000,000 to cover the cost of the Emergency Bridge Loan program that was originally funded by LED, as well as $55,000,000 to be utilized in the Enhanced Bridge Loan program. The total obligation that occurred for these programs prior to close of this quarter is $95 million. 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 another twenty-four impacted parishes. This change occurred due to the demand for loan guarantees that the State experienced. As of September 30, 2006, the Emergency BL had made 370 total loan guarantees amounting to $8,820,765. These guarantees covered areas across South Louisiana in the 13 most affected parishes which include: Calcasieu, Cameron, Jefferson, Lafourche, Orleans, Plaquemines, St. Bernard, St. Charles, St. John, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, Vermillion, and Washington. Also, during the 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. Some businesses that participated in the Emergency BL program also received guarantees under the Extended BL program. The total unduplicated number of businesses assisted with these two programs during this quarter is 644. The $55 million Enhanced BL program has not made guarantees as of the end of this quarter. |
| Address | City | State | Zip |
|---|---|---|---|
| No Activity Locations Found |
| 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 | 702,308.44 | 702,308.44 |
| Expended CDBG DR Funds | 702,308.44 | 702,308.44 |
| Match Contributed | 0 | 0 |
| Program Income Received | 0 | 0 |
|
This Report Period |
Cumulative Actual Total / Expected | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low | Mod | Total | Low | Mod | Total | |
| No Performance Measures Found | ||||||
| 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. |
| Through the work of the various task forces, the LRA has developed a series of strategic priorities and recovery plans in the areas of housing, infrastructure and economic development and played a key role in the development of recovery initiatives in the areas of health care, education and insurance. It has also supported planning efforts by collaborating with various entities engaged in data collection and research. Fraud prevention is a major concern and to ensure the state’s accountability it created an audit committee that meets monthly and receives regular reports from the Legislative Auditor, the Inspector General, and other independent accounting firms engaged by various entities of the state. The LRA has also leveraged funds with the creation of the LRA Support Foundation, a non-profit organization formed to raise money for LRA initiatives. To date $5,375,341 in private funds has been expended in the areas of long-term planning, communications, public affairs and health-care redesign. Although it began its planning well before the approval of initial funding, the LRA has devoted the majority of the first quarter of CDBG funding to the development, passage, submission and implementation of CDBG action plans for housing, infrastructure and economic development -- the bedrocks of recovery. Regarding the long-term planning process, the LRA collaborated with the American Institute of Architects and the American Planning Association to develop rebuilding principles. The LRA used these principles to initiate Louisiana Speaks, a multifaceted planning initiative designed to address planning at every level. One major objective of this multi-level planning process is to successfully integrate community input and a set of deliverables from the district-level and neighborhood planning processes into a Unified Recovery and Rebuilding Plan for the City of New Orleans. In collaboration with FEMA, LRA assembled planning teams in the most severely impacted parishes. These planning teams worked closely with local officials and community residents to develop comprehensive, long-term recovery strategies. 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 July and August. 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. Related to health care, the LRA has worked with the Louisiana Health Services Recovery Council to identify critical health care facility needs unable to recover without CDBG assistance. This work has resulted in the commitment of CDBG funding for a replacement rural critical access hospital in lower Cameron Parish. Further CDBG funds may still be necessary for health care facility repair or replacement in several other areas. The LRA is using its roles as organizer and supporter of long-term community and regional planning and participant in and overseer of health care system redesign to ensure that appropriate primary and preventive care facilities are integrated into recovery plans. Incorporation of the new health care delivery system model into these plans is critical for the success of recovery. Lastly, because the availability and affordability of insurance in coastal Louisiana has been an impediment to recovery, the LRA continues to explore strategies for reducing the burden of insurance on all those affected by the storms. |
| Address | City | State | Zip |
|---|---|---|---|
| No Activity Locations Found |
| 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 | 53,277,511.67 | 53,277,511.67 |
| Expended CDBG DR Funds | 28,447,425.17 | 28,447,425.17 |
| Match Contributed | 0 | 0 |
| Program Income Received | 0 | 0 |
|
This Report Period |
Cumulative Actual Total / Expected | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low | Mod | Total | Low | Mod | Total | |
| # of Properties | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 1/73,800 |
| # of housing units | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 1/0 |
| # of Households benefitting | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1/0 | 0/0 | 1/0 |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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 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 was 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. Housing Assistance Centers are open at the following locations: Calcasieu; Cameron; East Baton Rouge; Jefferson; Orleans; Plaquemines; St. Bernard; Terrebonne; Vermilion; and St. Tammany. As of October 2, 2006, The Road Home had received 61,079 applications, recorded 33,833 applications, held 4,171 appointments, and calculated and verified 255 awards valued at $10.6 million. The average award based on the amount calculated was $41,582. As of September 30, 2006, a total of 1 closing occurred for a low to moderate income individual that was assisted. 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. |
| Address | City | State | Zip |
|---|---|---|---|
| No Activity Locations Found |
| 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 | 35,518,341.12 | 35,518,341.12 |
| Expended CDBG DR Funds | 18,964,950.12 | 18,964,950.12 |
| Match Contributed | 0 | 0 |
| Program Income Received | 0 | 0 |
|
This Report Period |
Cumulative Actual Total / Expected | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low | Mod | Total | Low | Mod | Total | |
| # of Properties | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 12/49,200 |
| # of housing units | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 12/49,200 |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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 was 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. Housing Assistance Centers are open at the following locations: Calcasieu; Cameron; East Baton Rouge; Jefferson; Orleans; Plaquemines; St. Bernard; Terrebonne; Vermilion; and St. Tammany. As of October 2, 2006, The Road Home had received 61,079 applications, recorded 33,833 applications, held 4,171 appointments, and calculated and verified 255 awards valued at $10.6 million. The average award based on the amount calculated was $41,582. The average award based on the amount calculated is approximately $53,000.As of September 30, 2006, a total of 12 closings for individuals that are above 80% area median income were assisted. This figure is low because the bulk of work that took place during this quarter involved program design, refinement of procedures and protocols, infrastructural development and staffing including the development of a management information system and the opening of Housing Assistance Centers. The State anticipates the next quarterly report to show significant increases in the figures associated with housing units and properties assisted. The funding figures associated with this program represent 40% of the total amount allocated and spent for the Road Home program for this grant award. While the State estimates that 40% of the homeowners benefiting from the program will be above area median income, this figure represents an educated guess. It will be refined as actual figures are realized in the operation of the program. |
| Address | City | State | Zip |
|---|---|---|---|
| No Activity Locations Found |
| 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 |