NLIHC Updates
The Senate Banking Committee held a hearing on December 15 on permanently authorizing HUD’s Community Development Block Grant–Disaster Recovery program (CDBG-DR), the only source of federal long-term disaster recovery funding and the centerpiece of the DHRC-supported “Reforming Disaster Recovery Act” (S.2471/H.R. 4707).
Congress needs to hear from you!
- If you have a Republican U.S. senator, please call and urge them to cosponsor this important bill!
- NLIHC and Enterprise Community Partners are circulating an organizational sign-on letter to congressional leadership in support of the Reforming Disaster Recovery Act (S.2471). Sign your organization on to the letter here.
Pro Bono Net, Equal Justice Works, and Lone Star Legal Aid announced a new training program for attorneys, community organizers, and other advocates across the U.S. committed to disaster response, recovery, and resilience. The program, “Current and Emerging Issues in Disaster Response: Legal Strategies and Practices for Helping Survivors,” is divided into several segments with over 20 subject-matter experts – including NLIHC Policy Analyst Noah Patton – covering topics related to FEMA disaster aid and the impact of climate disasters and disaster policies on marginalized communities, among others. The program is free and will be available on-demand through November 2022. Access program materials and segment recordings here.
Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) was tasked with evaluating how the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has used Community Development Block Grant - Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funds to assist vulnerable populations, including people with low and moderate incomes, older adults, racial minorities, and others. GAO recommends that HUD collect, analyze, and make public demographic data from CDBG-DR grantees on vulnerable populations who apply for and receive assistance so it can better assess the impact on target populations. (See related articles in this Memo to Members and Parnters.)
HUD launched redesigned CDBG-DR and CDBG-MIT pages on the HUD Exchange. The new pages prioritize simpler, more intuitive layouts, reorganize important resources for increased findability, and offer a more engaging experience for all users.
FEMA
Grist reports on FEMA’s decision to request authority from the Office of Management and Budget to begin asking people to provide demographic information, including race and ethnicity, when they apply for FEMA aid. FEMA has not announced if the demographic information will be publicly available. While advocates have found patterns of discrimination within FEMA’s assistance programs, household-level data would prove these inequities exist and could help address them. NLIHC President and CEO Diane Yentel testified before the United States Commission on Civil Rights on December 10, highlighting that our country’s disaster housing recovery system entrenches racial disparities.
Tornadoes
President Biden declared a major disaster in Kentucky in response to the devastating tornadoes on December 10. FEMA Individual Assistance (IA) is available to individuals in eight counties impacted by the tornadoes. FEMA Public Assistance (PA) is also available on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work in the eight counties. Survivors in counties approved for individual assistance can apply for assistance at https://www.disasterassistance.gov/ or by calling 1-800-621-3362.
The Team Western Kentucky Tornado Relief Fund has now raised more than $6 million to assist people in the affected areas. Governor Beshear announced on Monday the state will use part of that fund to provide $5,000 to each family who lost someone to help with burial expenses. The state will work to contact those families directly. Additionally, Kentucky Parks are providing shelter for displaced families. “We’re going to guarantee at least two weeks of stay. There may be other options by the end of that, but we’re not going to let any of our folks go homeless,” Beshear said. To help survivors in Kentucky, donate at: Team Western Kentucky Tornado Relief Fund
Learn about Kentucky Housing Corporation’s response to the devastating storms.
At a press conference on December 12, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear said more than 1,000 homes were destroyed by the tornadoes and thousands of people have been left homeless. “A block from my grandparents' house — everything is just gone, gone. I’d like to say we're going door to door in places, but there are no doors. That community is going to lose a number of people,” Governor Beshear told NPR. The director of the Kentucky Division of Emergency Management said the process to set up long-term shelter for displaced survivors will begin immediately.
According to public officials and experts who are still assessing the full scale of the loss and damage, Kentucky’s recovery from the historic tornado outbreak will take “months, if not years” and cost “hundreds of millions of dollars at least.”
Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) wrote to President Biden requesting immediate federal assistance following the devastating tornadoes, sparking charges of hypocrisy from his critics given the senator’s lengthy history of opposing federal disaster relief packages. Senator Paul has voted against previous rounds of emergency relief to other parts of the country, including legislation passed following hurricanes Sandy, Harvey, and Maria, saying such aid should be offset with cuts to other programs so as not to increase deficits.
Adrienne Bush, executive director of the Homeless & Housing Coalition of Kentucky, an NLIHC state partner, spoke with Marketplace about the short- and long-term recovery ahead. Adrienne spoke about the need to provide immediate shelter and to significantly invest in affordable housing to ensure residents can rebuild and stay in their communities.
President Biden approved emergency declarations for Tennessee and Illinois, making available FEMA Public Assistance (PA) to counties impacted by the tornadoes on December 10. Emergency protective measures, including direct federal assistance, will be provided at 75% federal funding.
Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson said on Face the Nation that hundreds of homes had been “totally destroyed” by the tornado the hit multiple towns.
Hurricanes
As of December 8, FEMA inspection staff are finishing the last 1,175 outstanding inspections of damaged property. Transitional sheltering staff are partnering with over 680 hotels in nine states to host nearly 3,887 households in need of permanent housing. Read FEMA’s 12/8 update on Hurricane Ida recovery efforts in Louisiana.
Months after Hurricane Ida left thousands without homes across southern Louisiana, hundreds are still without housing. The demand for temporary trailers has far outstripped the availability. Hundreds of residents are awaiting temporary housing in Houma, where trailers are slowly being added to a FEMA site where nearly 200 people are already being temporarily housed.
According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, hundreds of families in the Philadelphia region remain displaced more than three months after Hurricane Ida devastated the area and destroyed dozens of affordable rental units. Amid the expensive, tight housing market and limited supply of affordable housing, displaced renters and homeowners are fighting for the same vacancies. As a result, hundreds of residents are still staying in county-funded hotels, and many more are doubling up.
More than three months after Hurricane Ida, The City reports many survivors in New York City are still waiting for federal assistance. The temporary displacement and long-term uncertainty underscore a growing housing crisis exacerbated by climate change. More than 88,700 New York City residents applied for FEMA aid as of December 3, with $163.7 million approved. FEMA declined to specify how many applicants were approved or denied funds.