The state is trying to reach out to an estimated 45 thousand households that sustained damage from hurricanes in 2020 and 2021 because they could be eligible for financial assistance to rebuild or repair their homes. Executive Director for the LA Office of Community Development, Pat Forbes says there could be reasons why these individuals are not applying for assistance at restore.la.gov.
“A lot of people are scared of scams and such. So there are a lot of reasons. And so we are starting some outreach through faith-based communities hoping to reach these folks so we can get them some assistance.”
In October 2021, HUD allocated $600 million for all recovery efforts related to Hurricanes Laura and Delta. On March 22, 2022, a second allocation provided an additional $450 million for Hurricanes Laura and Delta recovery, bringing the total allocation for these storms to more than $1 billion. Forbes says completing the survey is the first step.
“We’ve had the survey up for about a year now. We been rebuilding houses for months and months. We have contractors out there. You can use your own contractor. And if you already finished the work we can reimburse you.”
Residents who owned their home and occupied it as a primary residence at the time of the disaster and have maintained ownership of the home since the disaster; and received a FEMA determination for repairs greater than $5,000 should complete the survey. Forbes says the program is for anyone who sustained damage and once your survey is submitted, you will be guided through the next step.
“This is not just for low to moderate households. If you didn’t fill out the survey because you didn’t think you were eligible, you may be now. We’re just everybody if you had a FEMA-verified loss, please fill out the survey and let us see if you might be eligible for help.”
For assistance, call 866-735-2001 or visit restore.la.gov.
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