Governor Edwards announces $11.3 million has been secured to help residents recover from the 2020 hurricanes along with flooding that severely damaged homes in Lake Charles. It’s a combination of funding from HUD Community Development Block Grants, the City of Lake Charles, the Louisiana Housing Corporation, and the National Housing Trust Fund.
“This is the beginning, this is a first step, a relatively modest step, but it is one that has been made possible because of the persistent efforts of Mayor Nic Hunter,” said Edwards.
The funding will be used for two programs the C-O-L-C Home Rehabilitation and Recovery Program and the City of Lake Charles Small Rental Rehabilitation Program. Edwards said the program is intended to address unmet housing needs.
“The focus will obviously be on homeowners who are low to moderate-income, in fact, 80% or less of the area median income,” said Edwards.
The governor, who was in DC last week lobbying for more recovery funds for Louisiana, acknowledges the $595 million Congress recently appropriated for the 2020 storms. He said the majority of those funds are going to southwest Louisiana. Along with the $11.3 million announcement Edwards said it is still not enough for the unmet housing needs.
Lake Charles Mayor Nick Hunter said the housing situation is dire and even with immediate funding, housing needs cannot be met overnight but said the funding they’ve finally secured should go a long way.
“It’s going to help those who need it the most. We’re going to start out with low to moderate-income individuals. And that is our goal, those who are underinsured or uninsured,” said Hunter.
Funds will be capped at $50,000 per household and additional details about how to apply will be provided in the coming weeks by the City of Lake Charles.
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