[StBernard] LRA Board Member's Op-Ed on Road Home Published Today by New Orleans Newpaper

[Westley Annis]

LRA Board Member's Op-Ed on Road Home Published 
Today by New Orleans Newpaper



Louisiana Continues Making the Case for Equity 


NEW ORLEANS (August 10, 2007)- Today the New Orleans Times Picayune published an op-ed submitted by Walter Leger, Chair of the Louisiana Recovery Authority's Housing and Redevelopment Task Force. The op-ed, which highlights the state's efforts to secure equitable funding for Louisiana and address the projected Road Home budget shortfall, is attached below in its entirety. 


POINT OF VIEW: Asking for help to fill the Road Home gap
Friday, August 10, 2007 
New Orleans Times Picayune 
Walter Leger 

After two long years, I recently filed my Road Home application. While the process of applying was relatively simple -- compared to finding a dry cleaner in St. Bernard these days -- it was a difficult step to take. 

In the wake of the projected budget shortfall, there is great anxiety about the ability of this program to meet the needs of our homeowners. As Chair of the Louisiana Recovery Authority's Housing Task Force, I have been an outspoken critic and advocate for the program, and I've often said that I would like to be the very last of an estimated 140,000 eligible homeowners to receive a Road Home grant. While some have suggested this day will never come, I can assure you that we will continue fighting for Louisiana until it does. 

Federal investments in the Gulf Coast's recovery have been generous, yet appropriations still have not come close to the magnitude of our damages or to the commitment President Bush pledged in Jackson Square shortly after Katrina. Furthermore, the funds that have been appropriated have been distributed inequitably among states based on damages. 

After Katrina and Rita, the 109th Congress waited until Christmas to fund a recovery package for the Gulf Coast , and then they capped Louisiana 's share of the funding at 54 percent despite the hard fact that we suffered nearly 80 percent of all the housing damage. We had more than four times the damage of Mississippi , yet we've received less than twice the amount of funding. 

If Louisiana had received the $22 billion that is proportional to the amount Mississippi received more than 18 months ago, the status of our recovery would be very different. More affordable rental units would be on-line. More small businesses re-opened. More homes elevated. More infrastructure projects underway. And we would not be discussing a shortfall in the Road Home program. 

And while much has been said about the pace of the Road Home program as compared to that of our neighboring state, when you compare apples to apples, the facts speak for themselves. 

As of Aug. 1, Mississippi has closed 13,978 grants. Louisiana has closed 39,628. They have distributed just over $1 billion. We have paid out $2.8 billion to Louisiana homeowners. 

Taking into account the fact that Louisiana didn't receive sufficient funding to get this program off the ground until June 2006 -- while Mississippi received full funding in December 2005 -- it is clear that we have strongly and consistently out-paced our neighbors in the Magnolia State. 

Louisiana also chose to assist homeowners regardless of their geographic location or the cause of uninsured hurricane damage. We are proud of this decision, as implementing a "phased" program identical to Mississippi's would have left many of our homeowners inside the floodplain -- in Lakeview, Gentilly, eastern New Orleans, the Lower 9th Ward and St. Bernard -- standing at the back of the line. As of Aug. 1, more than 7,400 homeowners inside Mississippi's flood plain had applied for aid. Fewer than 400 had received grants. 

Despite this progress, we all know the shortcomings of the Road Home, and that's why we fight to improve the quality and pace of the program every day. 


>From the beginning, our mission has been to rebuild South Louisiana in the aftermath of two back-to-back storms and the catastrophic flooding that was caused by the failure of our federal levee systems. And in order to do this we must ensure that every homeowner who is eligible receives his or her full grant award as quickly as possible. 


While current budget projections for the Road Home estimate a shortfall of roughly $4.3 billion, we remain committed to this goal. 

Louisiana has invested $1 billion of our own state funds to address the shortfall. We're also working with congressional leaders to cut through significant federal red tape that has kept us from being able to effectively utilize nearly $1.2 billion in hazard mitigation funds for the Road Home. And we are asking for help from Washington to secure the funds necessary to fill the remaining gap. 

Given the inequitable distribution of funds thus far, we believe this request is clearly warranted. 

On the same day he announced the administration's support for the $4.2 billion appropriation for Louisiana, Gulf Coast Recovery Coordinator Don Powell testified before Congress saying, "if after spending all the allocated federal funds there are remaining unmet needs, we will continue to work with Congress to help ensure that additional resources are available and needs are met." 

This time has come. 

Louisiana is asking for nothing more and nothing less than Washington has provided to our neighbors, just equitable funding that will enable us to restore our homes and rebuild our devastated communities. 



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