[StBernard] The Road Home Pilot Opens in Baton Rouge

[Westley Annis]

The Road Home Pilot Opens in Baton Rouge


BATON ROUGE, La., July 12, 2006 - Today, The Road Home program began a pilot to schedule consultation appointments with a small sample of homeowners who had pre-registered with The Road Home Housing Registry. During these appointments, housing professionals will verify necessary documentation and assist homeowners with any questions they may have regarding their options under The Road Home program. During the pilot, these homeowners will move through the entire Road Home process, including funding of any applicable awards, in order to fine tune the policies and procedures for a fully scaled program. 

By late August, at least 10 Housing Assistance Centers will be open in the affected parishes, and housing professionals will begin contacting all homeowners who are registered in the Housing Registry to schedule a consultation appointment. To ensure that each homeowner receives the attention they deserve, centers will be open to homeowners on an appointment-only basis. 

If homeowners have not yet registered in The Road Home Housing Registry, they should call 1-888-Road-2-LA (1-888-762-3252) to register. Homeowners do not need to pay to register for The Road Home, and program representatives will never ask for homeowners' credit card information. Once centers are open in late August and housing professionals start contacting homeowners to make appointments, the program will advertise the location of each authorized center. 

To expedite receipt of homeowners' financial award from The Road Home, homeowners are encouraged to start collecting the following items to bring them to their scheduled appointments: 1) Current contact information; 2) photo I.D.; 3) Social security number; 4) Ownership/acquisition deed; 5) FEMA assistance documentation; 6) Records of repair or mitigation costs; 7) Copies of insurance policies including proof of claims or payouts made or received for damage incurred during Hurricanes Katrina or Rita; 8) Proof of loss statement from an insurer; 9) Information about pending or anticipated litigation with your insurer; 10) Information about your mortgage or any other liens on your home; and 11) Information about Small Business Administration (SBA) loans. These documents are essential to prove homeownership and eligibility to receive The Road Home financial award. 

Please visit The Road Home online media center at www.road2LA.org/media.htm to download a graphic (two versions are available - one for print and one for broadcast, available in both PDF and JPG) that depicts the process by which homeowners may apply for and receive assistance.

The Road Home (www.road2LA.org) is a program developed by Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco to help Louisiana residents get back into their homes or apartments as quickly and fairly as possible. Through The Road Home, eligible homeowners can select to (1) repair, (2) rebuild, (3) buyout and relocate within Louisiana, or (4) sell their homes and move out of state. Total assistance to all homeowners is capped at $150,000.

###