FEINGOLD TO INTRODUCE BILL TO OFFER HOUSING ASSISTANCE FOR LOW-INCOME
KATRINA SURVIVORS
One Year After Hurricane Katrina Devastated the Gulf Coast, Many
Residents Still Are Left Homeless and Without Access to Affordable
Housing
August 24, 2006
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Russ Feingold announced today
that he will introduce the Gulf Coast Housing Accessibility Act to address
some of the housing issues faced by survivors of Hurricane Katrina that
still remain one year after the hurricane devastated the Gulf Coast.
In July, Feingold toured some of the areas of New Orleans ravaged by
the hurricane and saw how despite people’s hard work, many homes
and neighborhoods remain unlivable. Feingold’s legislation is
an attempt to bring immediate and long-term assistance to those who
lost their homes to Hurricane Katrina. Feingold’s legislation
will be paid for completely through offsetting spending cuts so as to
not increase the deficit.
“Over the past year, in my listening sessions in Wisconsin, I
have heard from many people upset with the federal government’s
response to Katrina and their emotional pleas to not forget about the
people who lost their homes, their communities and their way of life,”
Feingold said. “We must do all we can to help survivors of Katrina
return to the lives they once knew. That’s why I’m introducing
this legislation to try to offer some level of immediate assistance
to working families, seniors, people with disabilities and other survivors
of the hurricanes who just want a place to call home.”
Feingold’s legislation has several provisions intended to help
lower-income Katrina survivors receive access to affordable housing:
Project-Based Housing Vouchers - Feingold’s
bill would provide funding for project-based Section 8 housing vouchers
to help make a percentage of the Gulf Coast’s reconstructed housing
available to working-poor families, seniors, people with disabilities,
and other vulnerable residents. This provision is similar to a proposal
offered by Louisiana’s Senators Mary Landrieu (D-LA) and David
Vitter (R-LA) earlier this year.
More Flexible Disaster Assistance - Feingold’s
bill would offer flexibility for FEMA to provide more secure and reliable
housing to displaced residents of the 2005 hurricanes and future disaster
survivors and offer protections to low-income renters. This provision
builds on an earlier effort by Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Joe
Lieberman (D-CT) to provide flexibility for FEMA.
Housing Assistance Reorganization - Feingold’s
bill would transfer funding for remaining temporary rental assistance
programs from FEMA’s Disaster Relief Fund to the Department of
Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Disaster Voucher Program.
By moving these funds for transitional housing to HUD, the government
will be able to provide displaced families still receiving housing assistance
with better options to meet their long-term housing needs.
Read a fact sheet
about the legislation.
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