[StBernard] Housing call registry activated

[Westley Annis]

Editor's note:  The direct link to the registry is:
http://www.housing-la.com/


Displaced Louisiana residents are encouraged to call 24-hour, 7-day housing
registry and start on the road home 


BATON ROUGE, La. Starting today, Louisiana citizens displaced by hurricanes
Katrina and Rita can register key information about their damaged homes by
calling The Road Home, the state's new Housing Registry, or logging on to a
new, one-stop web portal - www.LouisianaRebuilds.info <http:
//www.LouisianaRebuilds.info> .

Homeowners are encouraged to call The Road Home at 888-ROAD 2 LA
(888-762-3252) to register for the state's housing recovery program. This
registry pertains only to homes that were occupied by homeowners and damaged
by hurricanes Katrina or Rita. 

Registrants calling The Road Home or logging onto www.LouisianaRebuilds.info
<http://www.LouisianaRebuilds.info>  will be asked to provide important
information, including a resident'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.

"This registration program is the first step on the road home for hundreds
of thousands of our families, neighbors and friends. The Road Home housing
registry will verify home addresses and ownership information. With this
input, we can start the process of determining a homeowner's eligibility for
funding," said Louisiana Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco. "A homeowner
will have several funding options available if he or she wants to be a part
of our repair, rebuild and restoration effort. We need these citizens more
than ever and want them to make their future in Louisiana, helping build a
stronger, safer and smarter state."

The Road Home is a comprehensive registry for owners of homes damaged by
Katrina and Rita. "This program will be in existence for an extended period
so we can be sure as much homeowner information as possible is collected. It
is not first-come, first-served because it is more important to get all the
information required to determine eligibility," said Blanco.

The Road Home call center is an important option for a majority of displaced
homeowners who have phone service, but Governor Blanco also invited them to
use the Louisiana Rebuilds web portal. "For those with Internet access,
registering online will save time. It is necessary to fill out only one
form, whether by phone or online. Besides, there is a wealth of other
information on Louisiana Rebuilds that they will want to keep track of in
the coming weeks," she said. 

The new recovery-based web portal - www.LouisianaRebuilds.info
<http://www.LouisianaRebuilds.info>  - is a one-stop, online resource that
includes updated content and links to resources both nationally and locally
that present all types of information related to recovery and rebuilding
following hurricanes Katrina and Rita. 

LouisianaRebuilds.info includes regularly updated information about:

*	Individual neighborhood, parish and statewide rebuilding efforts,
affordable housing, transportation, schools and health care; 
*	Help for business owners and entrepreneurs; 
*	Pending legislation, policy issues and voting information; and 
*	Community resources and funding opportunities for nonprofits.

The portal is sponsored by a collaborative of government, private and
non-profit partners, including Louisiana Recovery Authority, Louisiana
Family Recovery Corps, Louisiana Association of Nonprofit Organizations, the
State of Louisiana, Neighborhood 1, City of New Orleans, Greater New Orleans
Nonprofit, Knowledge Works, New Orleans Virtual Diaspora Network, Carrollton
Technology Partners, Innovative Intermedia, LLC, Grassroots Enterprise,
Inc., Living Cities, One Economy Corporation and PolicyLink.

Once the housing registration process is completed, homeowners can call and
update their information. Contact numbers and websites will be provided
during the registration interview or upon completion of the online
registration process.

Blanco said her goal is welcoming back all displaced Louisianians who want
to return to the state. "I am encouraged each day by our citizens and their
love for our state and their determination to come back and live the life
that only we know. I am working with thousands of dedicated professionals in
state government to get these families back. Now we have The Road Home, our
first step," she said. 

Governor Blanco will hold a press conference to demonstrate how affected
homeowners can register on the web portal tomorrow, Thursday, March 9, 2006
at 10 a.m. at a place to be announced. 

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