The Hill published today an op-ed by NLIHC President and CEO Diane Yentel about the Trump administration’s failure to adequately respond to the deepening housing crisis caused by the California wildfires and the hurricanes in Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.
“The administration has failed to address survivors’ most basic need: a safe, stable, affordable home,” Diane states.
Read “Disaster Housing Recovery: Time for Congress to Act” at https://bit.ly/2KyXk9E
In her op-ed, Diane describes the severe shortage of affordable rental homes for the lowest income families prior to the recent disasters and how the immense damage to homes caused by this and last year’s disasters is exacerbating the crisis. She cites FEMA’s inexplicably slow provision of temporary housing, causing disaster survivors to sleep in tent cities, double or triple up with other low-income families, or stay in crowded motel rooms for months. She notes FEMA’s stubborn refusal to activate proven longer-term housing solutions deployed after previous storms, despite repeated requests from governors, members of Congress, impacted people and advocates.
“The next Congress must do what the current Congress has not: hold the administration accountable and ensure that low-income disaster survivors are provided with stable, affordable homes so they can recover,” states Diane. “It’s the least we can do for fellow Americans who have lost so much.”
Read the full op-ed at: https://bit.ly/2KyXk9E