[StBernard] Public Invited to Comment on The Road Home Housing Plan

[Westley Annis]

Public Invited to Comment on The Road Home Housing Plan

Louisiana Program to Help Residents Repair, Rebuild, Relocate or Sell Homes

BATON ROUGE, La. - The public is invited to comment on The Road Home housing
plan in a 10-day public comment period that begins tomorrow (Thursday). The
plan describes how Louisiana will use federal hurricane recovery funds to
help Louisiana residents rebuild after hurricanes Katrina and Rita. 

Citizens, especially those affected by the storms, can access the plan on
the Internet or request a copy by phone. The state will also conduct open
houses April 12 in New Orleans and Lake Charles to allow residents to review
the plan and to offer ideas and suggestions about how it can best address
their individual housing needs. 

The Road Home, first introduced by Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco in
February, was designed by the Louisiana Recovery Authority in conjunction
with the Office of Community Development and national housing experts. The
plan would provide up to $150,000, minus insurance payments and FEMA
assistance, to repair, rebuild, take a buyout or relocate, or sell homes.
The state will hire a private company to manage the program and establish
assistance centers to provide information to help homeowners and owners of
small-scale rental property understand their options. The proposal also
includes a plan for repairing and rebuilding affordable housing through
incentives for rental property owners and developers. 

Gov. Blanco has committed $7.5 billion in federal funds to the homeowner
assistance program and $1.62 billion for rental reinvestment. The program
relies on the approval of $4.2 billion in hurricane recovery aid under
consideration in Congress. 

Yesterday the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee passed the supplemental
appropriations bill that includes the $4.2 billion in aid. Gov. Blanco, who
was in the committee room in Washington, D.C. when it was approved, said the
action "will allow us to fully fund our housing program and will enable our
citizens to rebuild, repair or relocate." 

After a 10-day comment period, the plan will go to the Louisiana Legislature
for consideration before submission to the U. S. Department of Housing and
Urban Development, which administers the federal dollars. 

The plan will be available beginning Thursday on the Internet at
www.LouisianaRebuilds.info <http://www.LouisianaRebuilds.info> . It also can
be obtained by calling 225-342-7412. The state placed public notices in
newspapers and libraries throughout Louisiana and in major cities out of
state where the majority of displaced residents reside. 

The public can comment through April 17 by logging onto
www.LouisianaRebuilds.info <http:// www.LouisianaRebuilds.info> , by writing
the Office of Community Development at P.O. Box 94095, Baton Rouge, LA
70804-9095 or by faxing their comments to 225-342-1947. The plan will be
available next week in Spanish and Vietmanese.

Residents can offer their comments at open houses from 3-9 p.m., Wednesday,
April 12 in New Orleans and Lake Charles.

Gov. Blanco has urged all homeowners affected by the hurricanes to register
for The Road Home homeowner assistance program. More than 50,000 people have
registered online at www.RebuildLouisiana.info
<http://www.RebuildLouisiana.info>  or through a toll-free line at 888-ROAD
2 LA.

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