[StBernard] HOMEOWNERS URGED TO SCHEDULE APPOINTMENTS

[Westley Annis]

HOMEOWNERS URGED TO SCHEDULE APPOINTMENTS


BATON ROUGE, La., Feb 1, 2006 - Each day, more and more Louisianans are making significant steps to rebuilding when they participate in The Road Home application process. Doing so puts them on the path to receiving their much-needed awards. 

However, almost 33,000 homeowners who have applied to the program have yet to schedule their initial appointments with a Housing Advisor. This appointment is a critical step in the program to determine program eligibility and gather initial information to calculate the homeowner's award.

Officials in The Road Home realize there may be many reasons why some homeowners hesitate about moving forward in the process. Many are uncertain about their individual plans, not to mention the future of their respective neighborhoods. Still, it is important to understand that attending this first meeting does not obligate the homeowner to ANY decision about their benefits. Once a homeowner receives the award letter, they will have a detailed description of each available option. At that point, they will choose their option and return the letter with their decision.

"We want to ensure that all eligible homeowners have this opportunity to receive compensation for the losses from the storms," said Michael Taylor, director of the Disaster Recovery Unit, Office of Community Development. "We have teams of Housing Advisors who are standing by ready to meet with homeowners to get them on The Road Home."

Homeowners who have applied to the program are encouraged to call 1-888-ROAD-2-LA to schedule their appointment at any one of the 12 Housing Assistance Centers in Louisiana and Texas. Homeowners who have previously scheduled appointments at one of the centers for dates in late February and beyond may call the hotline to reschedule their appointment for times as early as next week. Due to the high demand for appointments at a few Centers, homeowners with flexibility in their schedules and locations will be the most successful in having earlier appointment times. 

Evening and weekend appointment times are available at most centers, which have a total statewide capacity of more than 1,000 appointments per day.

Homeowners who can be flexible in their choices of dates, times and locations will be the most successful in having their appointments scheduled early. Evening and weekend appointment times are available at most centers, which have a total statewide capacity of more than 1,000 appointments per day. 

To access this release in a Word document, click here. <http://www.roadcommunications.com/assets/docs/33k.Edoc> 



The Road Home program is designed to help residents of Louisiana affected by Hurricane Katrina or Rita get back into their homes as quickly and fairly as possible. This groundbreaking program represents the largest single housing recovery program in U.S. history. Working together, Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco, the Louisiana Recovery Authority and the Office of Community Development created The Road Home program with the approval of the Louisiana Legislature. The program affords eligible homeowners up to $150,000 in compensation for their losses to get back into their homes.

To start your application to The Road Home program, visit
www.road2la.org 
or call 
1.888.ROAD.2.LA (1.888.762.3252).
TTY callers use 711 relay or 1.800.846.5277.