[StBernard] LRA Statement re Status of Road Home Housing Program

[Westley Annis]

Statement of Dr. Norman C. Francis, LRA Chairman, Regarding the Status of
The Road Home Housing Program

The Louisiana Recovery Authority thanks all the citizens of Louisiana who
made comments and suggestions on The Road Home. On behalf of Governor
Blanco, I want to assure our citizens who are working to rebuild their lives
that their voices are being heard.


The LRA will incorporate many of the suggestions for The Road Home housing
proposal collected in the public comment period and since Governor Blanco
introduced the plan in February. After consideration and approval by the
Louisiana Legislature, it will go to the U.S. Department of Housing and
Urban Development for final approval. 

There has been considerable discussion in recent days about the pace of the
approval process for The Road Home. What people need to know is that
Louisiana is facing the largest recovery, redevelopment and planning effort
in American history. Our levees were breached and our homes were sitting in
water for up to a month. 

To get homeowners the help they deserve, we first had to go to Washington to
fight for our fair share of federal resources. Fortunately, under the
leadership of Governor Blanco, we were able to reach an agreement with the
Bush Administration that will provide Louisiana with $4.2 billion in
additional funds -- enough to fully fund The Road Home Housing Program. That
request is moving through Congress, and we expect to see legislation
authorizing these funds on its way to the President by the end of May.

To kick-off the process for getting homeowners the help they deserve, we
created and launched a registry and a comprehensive program that addresses
the needs of every homeowner affected by the hurricanes. So far, nearly
60,000 Louisiana families have signed up.

To speed the delivery of assistance to homeowners, we have issued a
Solicitation for Offers (SFO) to hire a private firm by May 15th that will
implement this program when it is approved by HUD and fully funded by
Congress. We will put the power, speed, and efficiency of the private sector
to work for us in getting assistance into the hands of homeowners. 

This is a complicated, time consuming process. We want to do everything in
our power to get this right. The public comment period, legislative review
and federal oversight take time but will ensure the program is comprehensive
and properly addresses our needs. We are confident Congress understands
these needs and the magnitude of our challenge. Governor Blanco and the LRA
will continue the fight to make sure Louisiana's funding request is approved
by Congress. We are hopeful that Louisiana's housing plan will be fully
funded no later than Memorial Day.

No one wants to get checks into people's hands more than the Governor and
the LRA, and we will have a federally-approved plan and a contractor on
board when Congress fully funds our plan. 

-end-