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Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance

Program Descriptions

83.545:  Disaster Housing Program

Objectives:  To provide assistance to households affected by a disaster to assist with their disaster-created housing needs.

PROGRAM AND AWARD	FINANCIAL AND INFORMATION CONTACTS
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS	FINANCIAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE INFO.
APPLICATION AND AWARD PROCESS	INFORMATION CONTACTS
RELATED PROGRAMS	ASSISTANCE CONSIDERATIONS
PROGRAM ACCOMPLISHMENTS	POST ASSISTANCE REQUIREMENTS

83.545 ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS:

Applicant Eligibility:  Disaster victims in designated emergency or major disaster areas who meet the following assistance specific conditions of eligibility and documentation requirements: 1) Transient Accommodations Reimbursement: a) the home has been damaged or is in a mandatory evacuation area, b) paid receipts for short-term lodging expenses; 2) Home Repair Assistance: a) proof of occupancy and ownership, b) disaster damage to the home must have made the home unlivable, c) total estimate repair costs must not exceed the maximum allowable repair grant; 3) Rental Assistance: a) proof of occupancy, b) displacement from the home must be caused by the disaster; 4) Mortgage and Rental Assistance: a) proof of occupancy; b) documented financial hardship must be caused by the disaster, c) formal written notice of eviction or foreclosure proceedings. All applicants or an adult member of the household must certify that they are a United States citizen, a non-citizen national, or a qualified alien for the household to receive any form of disaster housing assistance.

Beneficiary Eligibility:  Households impacted by a declared Presidential emergency or major disaster who meet the conditions of eligibility noted above.

Credentials/Documentation:  FEMA Disaster Assistance Regulations, 44 CFR Part 206.101.

83.545 APPLICATION AND AWARD PROCESS:

Preapplication Coordination:  The State Governor makes a request for a Presidential declaration of an emergency or a major disaster through the FEMA Regional Director. Requests for assistance must be made by the Governor in accordance with FEMA Disaster Assistance Regulations, 44 CFR 206.25, except as provided in Part 206.24(d) for emergency declarations involving primarily Federal responsibility. This program is excluded from coverage under E.O. 12372.

Application Procedure:  Upon declaration of an emergency or major disaster, households may register an application for assistance with FEMA via a toll-free number.

Award Procedure:  Funds are allocated from the President's Disaster Relief Fund for use in a designated emergency or major disaster area. Households receive assistance directly from FEMA or through a FEMA funded mechanism.

Deadlines:  Generally, applicants for disaster housing assistance must register with FEMA within 60 days of the disaster declaration, except for applicants for MRA, who have 6 months to file.

Range of Approval/Disapproval Time:  From 7 to 10 days.

Appeals:  Appeals must be submitted in writing within 60 days of the date of the notification letter.

Renewals:  Not applicable.

Criteria for Selecting Proposals:  Not applicable.

Examples of Funded Projects:  Not applicable.

Range and Average of Financial Assistance:  Not available.

83.545 RELATED PROGRAMS:

• 59.002 Economic Injury Disaster Loans;
• 59.008 Physical Disaster Loans;
• 83.543 Individual and Family Grants.

83.545 PROGRAM ACCOMPLISHMENTS:

83.545 FINANCIAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE INFO:

Federal Agency:  RESPONSE AND RECOVERY DIRECTORATE, FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY

Type of Assistance:  Direct Payments for Specified Use; Provision of Specialized Services.

Obligations:  (Housing Assistance) Not separately identifiable.

Budget Account Number:  58-0104-0-1-453.

Authorization:  Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, 42 U.S.C. 5121 et seq., Section 408, Public Law 93-288, as amended.

Regulations, Guidelines, and Literature:  Federal Disaster Assistance Regulations, 44 CFR 206.101; FEMA Instructions 8620.11 and 8620.12.

83.545 INFO CONTACTS:

Regional or Local Office:  See Appendix IV of the Catalog for a listing of addresses for FEMA's Regional Offices.

Headquarters Office:  Laurence Zensinger, Director, Human Services Division, Response and Recovery Directorate, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Washington, DC 20472. Phone: (202) 646-3685.

(See Appendix IV for more contact info.)

83.545 ASSISTANCE CONSIDERATIONS:

Formula and Matching Requirements:  Not applicable.

Length and Time Phasing of Assistance:  Generally, term assistance (Rental Assistance, Mortgage and Rental Assistance) is provided on a periodic basis, usually 1 to 3 months of assistance at a time, with a total assistance period of no longer than 18 months.

Uses and Use Restrictions:  Housing assistance may be provided as: 1) Transient Accommodations Reimbursement; 2) Home Repair Assistance; 3) Rental Assistance; or 4) Mortgage and Rental Assistance. Documentation requirements: 1) Transient Accommodations Reimbursement: a) paid receipts for transient accommodations; 2) Home Repair Assistance: a) proof of occupancy and ownership; b) damage to home must be caused by the disaster; and c) total estimated repair costs must not exceed the maximum allowable repair grant; 3) Rental Assistance: a) proof of occupancy; displacement must be caused by the disaster; 4) Mortgage and Rental Assistance: a) proof of occupancy; b) documented financial hardship must be caused by the disaster; and c) formal written notice of eviction or foreclosure proceedings. Applicants, or a household member, must certify that they are a United States citizen, a non-citizen national, or a qualified alien for the household to receive any form of housing assistance.

83.545 POST ASSISTANCE REQUIREMENTS:

Reports:  Progress status reports are required.

Audits:  Internal program audits are conducted.

Records:  Expenditure records and related documents must be retained by the recipient for 3 years from date of payment.