[StBernard] State Moves Forward with Homeowner Elevations through the Road Home

[Westley Annis]

State Moves Forward with Homeowner Elevations through the Road Home

Second elevation program launching this summer to fill gap for homeowners

BATON ROUGE, La. - Homeowners will begin receiving funds through Louisiana's Road Home program this spring, with some homeowners eligible to receive an additional elevation grant later this year, the state announced Friday.

Homeowner elevations had been on hold since April of 2007, because of the anticipated shortfall in the Road Home program, which provides grants to homeowners to rebuild homes which were affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

"We want homeowners to know we are officially beginning the elevation program again and that they will be getting the money they need to elevate their homes and protect themselves from future property loss," said Walter Leger, chair of the Louisiana Recovery Authority's (LRA) Housing Task Force. "This spring homeowners will begin seeing these funds hit their bank accounts."

Governor Bobby Jindal directed the Louisiana Recovery Authority (LRA) and the Office of Community Development (OCD) to begin distributing homeowner elevations so that residents can rebuild safer, smarter and stronger than before. On his first day in office, Jindal named new LRA Executive Director Paul Rainwater to be his authorized representative to FEMA on the state's Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP), which is funding part of the grants.

"The state has always been committed to rebuilding homes safer than before, but we haven't always had the means to do so," Rainwater said. "Not only are we providing homeowners with the option to receive Road Home elevation money, but we are also launching a second program later this year because we know homeowners have additional costs that cannot be covered with only $30,000 in elevation money."

Homeowner elevations will come through two programs. The first round of funding is through the Road Home program, using Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) funds. Applicants of the program indicated in their initial paperwork whether they wanted to be considered for an elevations grant. 

The grants will provide up to $30,000 to eligible Road Home applicants as an incentive to elevate their homes to meet the current flood guidance for their parishes, including the Advisory Base Flood Elevation (ABFE).

OCD applauds the Governor and LRA for making additional funding available for homeowners to complete their elevations. 

"This is a significant decision which will considerably boost the state's recovery efforts," said Suzie Elkins, Executive Director of the Office of Community Development, "Finally homeowners will get the help that they need to rebuild."

Homeowners who are being offered elevation grants will receive information in the mail within the next four weeks. Because many homeowners made their initial decisions about elevations earlier, they are asked to return documents indicating that they would still like to participate in the program and receive the elevation grants. 

Homeowners who have already closed on their Road Home grants will receive a second disbursement of funds for the elevation. Homeowners who are eligible only for elevation funds will be called to schedule their closing.

Moving forward, homeowners who have not yet closed will receive both compensation and elevation grants following their closings, provided they have completed documentation indicating they will participate in the elevation program. 

In addition to the Road Home program's elevations, the state will create a separate Hazard Mitigation program that will allow Road Home applicants to apply for additional money to elevate their homes up to $30,000 based on actual construction costs. 

This program, which has not yet begun, will provide additional funding to HMGP-eligible applicants choosing the option to stay in their home. The additional elevation grant amount will cover gaps in elevation costs not covered by the Road Home.

The state will send guidelines out to homeowners in the coming weeks as the program launches. 

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) recently announced new program rules to allow property owners who have already begun or completed elevation to be eligible for hazard mitigation funding. 

Homes damaged by Hurricanes Katrina or Rita may be eligible for the retroactive funding, provided that they meet all other federal requirements. This exemption applies to property owners who have completed or started mitigation work on their property by March 16, 2008, and whose properties fall into one of the following categories:

*	Properties identified as eligible for elevation through the state's Road Home program, which will be included in the Office of Community Development's (OCD) HMGP application; or 
*	Properties included in an HMGP application proposed by a parish and submitted to the Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness (GOHSEP). 

Hurricanes Katrina and Rita devastated South Louisiana, claiming 1,464 lives, destroying more than 200,000 homes and 18,000 businesses. The Louisiana Recovery Authority (LRA) is the planning and coordinating body that was created in the aftermath of these storms to lead one of the most extensive rebuilding efforts in the world. The LRA is a 33-member body which is coordinating across jurisdictions, supporting community recovery and resurgence, ensuring integrity and effectiveness, and planning for the recovery and rebuilding of Louisiana. 

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