[StBernard] LRA Contracts with Nationally Recognized Firm to Conduct Independent Review of Road Home Operations

[Westley Annis]

How much will *this* contract cost the citizens of Louisiana and where will
the funds come from?  Will they be taken out of the already under-funded
Road Home program itself?

Jim





	-----------------------------------------------------
	LRA Contracts with Nationally Recognized Firm to 
	Conduct Independent Review of Road Home Operations
	
	RAND Corporation to begin work in Louisiana immediately
	
	BATON ROUGE, La. (August 24, 2007)- Louisiana Recovery Authority
(LRA) announced today it has contracted with a nationally recognized
research institution to conduct an independent review of the Road Home
program's implementation by the state Division of Administration's
contractor, ICF International (ICF). Through a contract executed by the LRA,
the RAND Corporation will begin working on the ground in Louisiana over the
next 7-10 days to conduct an "in-flight" review that will result in
recommendations to assure that applicants to the Road Home homeowner
assistance program, the largest housing redevelopment program in U.S.
history, receive the high quality customer service they deserve.
	
	"Through their dedication to high-quality and objective research and
analysis and with sophisticated analytical tools developed over many years,
RAND has developed a national reputation for providing independent
evaluations and developing solutions," said LRA Chairman Dr. Norman C.
Francis. "This is just what is needed to continue to improve the quality and
pace of the Road Home. While it appears the contractor has hit its
stride-delivering more than $3.1 billion to 42,542 Louisiana homeowners in
little more than a year since Louisiana received sufficient funding to
launch the program- we know there is still room for improvement." 
	
	Through this contract, RAND will review the program's application
process and program data to assess the extent to which the Road Home Program
Statement of Principles adopted by the LRA is being met. Through this
analysis, RAND will identify points of delay and error introduction that
inhibit the quality and efficiency of the program. RAND will also provide
regular updates on the status of its work and produce a final report that
will be publicly presented to the LRA's Housing Task Force and its member
community groups.
	
	"Our mission is to provide the oversight and accountability that is
necessary to continually improve the quality and pace of the program, and
the review that will be conducted by RAND and presented to the public in the
coming weeks and months ahead will serve as a valuable tool in fulfilling
this mission," said Walter Leger, Chair of the LRA's Housing Task Force.
"While the LRA doesn't run the Road Home, we designed its broad policies,
fought to see it funded, and are committed to doing everything we can to
continue moving the program forward as expeditiously and fairly as possible
and stressing that all homeowners should be treated with respect throughout
the process. The LRA's Housing Task Force will be working hand-in-hand with
RAND in partnership with the Office of Community Development and their
contractor ICF to review every aspect of the program and develop
common-sense solutions that can be implemented immediately. As Chair of the
task force and! a homeowner who's wor
	king through the process, I'm looking forward to getting started." 
	
	The Road Home Program was designed by the Louisiana Recovery
Authority and is administered by the Division of Administration's Office of
Community Development (OCD) and its contractor, ICF.
	
	George Penick, director of the RAND Gulf States Policy Institute
(RGSPI), expressed his pleasure with this partnership with LRA by saying:
"When RAND created the RAND Gulf States Policy Institute in the early months
following the 2005 hurricanes, it was for this very purpose: to enable it to
work closely with the key decision-makers of the region on the many public
policy issues that are so important to the long-term recovery." 
	
	RAND is a nonprofit research organization that addresses the
challenges facing the public and private sectors around the world. In
partnership with seven universities in the region, RAND created RGSPI to
work with state and local officials, organizations and the private sector to
develop a long-term vision and strategy to ! help build a better future for
Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama in the wake of Hurricanes Katrina and
Rita.
	
	RGSPI is a collaboration between RAND and seven universities in the
Gulf States region: Jackson State University, Tulane University, Tuskegee
University, University of New Orleans, University of South Alabama,
University of Southern Mississippi, and Xavier University of Louisiana. 
	
	Executing a contract to conduct an independent review of the Road
Home is the latest initiative led by the LRA to improve the quality and pace
of the program.
	
	Last month, LRA staff worked with the Division of Administration's
Office of Community Development to successfully negotiate new performance
measurements and requirements that are significantly more stringent in both
monetary value and in the breadth of deliverables covered than those that
had been in place previously. 
	
	Earlier this year, the LRA Board of Directors also expanded the
Housing Task Force to include homeowners as members and advisors and adopted
a "Road Home Statement of Principles" that was developed in conjunction with
the Citizens' Road Home Action Team (CHAT). The principles, which now serve
as a resource to homeowners that are progressing through the program, affirm
that all program participants should have access to a fair and swift
resolution of errors, disputes, and appeals and the calculation of Road Home
program benefits should be consistent, fair, and accurate. The list also
states that applicants should be able to accept grant money without losing
the ability to benefit resolution and appeal. 
	
	The complete Statement of Principles is available online at
www.road2la.org .