Additional Updates on Disaster Housing Recovery

The following is a review of additional housing recovery developments related to Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria, and the California wildfires since the last Memo to Members and Partners (see Memo12/18).

Letters to Governors

The Disaster Housing Recovery Coalition sent letters signed by 197 organizations to the governors of Texas, Florida, and Puerto Rico urging a formal request from each governor for robust federal housing resources and programs, including the HUD Disaster Housing Assistance Program (DHAP) and a special allocation of funding for the Low Income Housing Tax Credits, the national Housing Trust Fund, the HOME Investment Partnerships program, and New Markets Tax Credits. See each letter below:

TX Governor Abbott letter.
FL Governor Scott letter.
PR Governor Rosselló letter.

Media

The Orlando Sentinel published a commentary by the United Way of Florida CEO and the bishop of the United Methodist Church-Florida Conference calling on Florida Governor Rick Scott to request DHAP funding to provide housing for those displaced by the 2017 hurricanes. Highlighting the importance of DHAP, which has not yet been deployed after the recent disasters, the nonprofit leaders explained, “Left to fill the void, charities and nonprofits try to meet the increased demand for their services, depleting them of the resources they rely on to be able to serve their communities throughout the year. This is where we find ourselves now in Florida and in Puerto Rico to the south.”

The Austin American-Statesman published an op-ed by Cesar Espinosa, executive director of FIEL Houston, an immigrants rights group, and Dr. Abdul Haleem Muhammad, CEO of ACTION Community Development Corporation emphasizing the need for DHAP to be implemented in Texas. “Our state’s leader should call on the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to establish this proven housing assistance that can help survivors get back on their feet and recover quickly,” the authors stated.

Local Perspectives

Puerto Rico

HUD Secretary Ben Carson visited Puerto Rico in December for the first time since Hurricane Maria hit. He used his one-day visit to meet with local mayors and Governor Ricardo Rosselló, along with Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen. Although he did not tour the island or fly over Puerto Rico’s hardest-hit areas, the secretary said he was “impressed” by the island’s recovery. DHRC partners recently back from Puerto Rico reported areas to the south of San Juan (like Yabucoa) are still without electrical grid power or water.

The Hispanic Federation’s President José Calderón condemned both the Tax Bill and House supplemental disaster recovery assistance package. In response to the disaster supplemental bill passed by the House of Representatives, Mr. Calderón issued a formal statement: “This week the United States Congress has all but abandoned the people of Puerto Rico. The much-celebrated Tax Bill sent by Republican leaders to the White House places an onerous tax on Puerto Rico at the moment when the island needs as much economic stimulus as possible. And last night, as part of a deeply flawed supplemental disaster recovery assistance package, Congress failed to provide the funding Puerto Rico desperately needs to rebuild in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria.”

Governor Ricardo Rosselló is proposing to give 48,000 “squatters” legal title to their land, according to Politico. The plan could cost up to $30 million, for which federal disaster aid is needed. When he met last month with HUD Secretary Ben Carson and Deputy Secretary Pam Patenaude, the governor asked for flexibility to spend disaster aid on land surveys and other work needed to transfer property ownership to squatters.

Thousands of people still lack sustainable access to potable water and electricity and dry, safe places to sleep, according to a report by Refugees International. The report describes the response by federal and Puerto Rican authorities as still largely uncoordinated and poorly implemented—thereby prolonging the humanitarian emergency on the ground. Maria survivors are encountering challenges navigating FEMA’s bureaucratic and opaque assistance process and are lacking sufficient information on whether, when, and how they will be assisted.

Florida

Hundreds of Puerto Ricans continue to arrive daily at Orlando International Airport, escaping the devastation caused by Hurricane Maria in September. More than 239,000 Puerto Ricans have arrived in Florida since October 3, according to figures from Florida’s State Emergency Response Team - the largest evacuation in the state’s history. “This isn’t an emergency that’s finished, like the hurricane that passed by Puerto Rico,” stated Marytza Sanz, president of Latino Leadership. “This is a hurricane that’s starting here, in Florida.” Ms. Sanz and other experts and people on the ground contend that the government is not doing enough in terms of coordination and long-term planning.

Monroe County Emergency Management (The Keys) announced it will be hosting six public meetings in early 2018 regarding Hurricane Irma. These meetings are designed to enable the County to collect feedback from the community about what went right and what went wrong before, during, and after Hurricane Irma—as well as what can be improved for future storms.

Housing Credits and State Apartments Incentive Loan (SAIL) funding is available for affordable housing for hurricane recovery in the Keys. The Request for Applications is open to applicants proposing the development of affordable, multifamily housing located in Monroe County. The Florida Housing Finance Corporation expects to have up to an estimated $2,230,000 of Housing Credits and up to an estimated $6,500,000 in SAIL.

Texas

Governor Greg Abbott issued a proclamation extending the State Disaster Declaration for Texas counties affected by Hurricane Harvey, which must be renewed every 30 days for assistance to remain available after Hurricane Harvey. There are currently 60 counties included in the state disaster declaration.

HUD is allocating $57.8 million of previously appropriated CDBG-DR funds to Texas for Hurricane Harvey disaster recovery, per a December 27, 2017 Federal Register notice. On May 5, 2017, Congress passed the Appropriations Act of 2017 that included $400 million of additional CDBG-DR for various disasters. Of that total, $342,200,000 was allocated to address 2015 and 2016 disasters. Federal Register notices implementing use of CDBG-DR typically require at least 80% of the funds to address unmet needs within HUD-identified “most impacted and distressed areas.” The December 27 notice requires Texas to use at least 80% in Harris County (which includes Houston). In addition, the $57.8 million remains subject to the requirement that 70% of the funds benefit low and moderate-income households. To address the typical requirement of grantees to develop an Action Plan detailing proposed uses based on an analysis of unmet needs, HUD is allowing Texas to adopt and incorporate information from its 2016 disaster Action Plan, provided Texas adds updated information specific to Hurricane Harvey including an updated assessment of community impacts and unmet needs.

Texas Housers provided an outline of key findings from a representative survey of adults living in 24 counties along the Texas coast that were particularly hard-hit by Hurricane Harvey. The report, released by Episcopal Health Foundation and Kaiser Family Foundation, reveals how addressing the urgent housing needs of vulnerable communities can stem the financial havoc wrought by the storm and help manage Harvey’s impact on the physical and mental health of survivors. The survey was conducted two to three months after Harvey made landfall. A few of the findings:

Nearly half of individuals surveyed said they had no savings to tap into in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey.
As a result, 40% of low-income respondents, 31% of black respondents, and 36% of Hispanic respondents reported falling behind on rent or mortgage payments.
Hispanic, black and low-income residents of Harvey-affected areas were more likely to report negative employment effects due to the storm.
Fifty-nine percent of low-income respondents, 65% of Hispanic respondents, and 46% of black respondents said they or someone they live with had lost a job, had hours cut, or suffered another loss of income due to Hurricane Harvey.
Out of a list of ten rebuilding and recovery activities, housing efforts were indicated as the second, third, and fourth highest priorities. Providing financial help to those in need topped the list.

California

California Governor Jerry Brown’s office sent an official request for a major disaster declaration for the southern California wildfires on December 20, and the president was to evaluate this request with FEMA for a quick response. The major disaster request, if approved, would make available individual assistance and public assistance, specifically the Individuals and Housing Program, crisis counseling and disaster legal services, disaster case management, transitional sheltering assistance, unemployment assistance, hazard mitigation, and possibly Small Business Administration and Department of Agriculture loans. The Major Disaster Declaration for California released by the president on January 2, however, was limited to FEMA public assistance on the usual 75% cost-sharing basis for the state and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations—but not to individuals. Public assistance (PA) was approved for two counties, and the request for individual assistance (IA), the funding that can go directly to individuals and families, is being evaluated for all counties. Non-profits assisting with recovery in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties are eligible for assistance, and since the request for IA in San Diego county is still being reviewed, it is possible that non-profits operating there will also be eligible.

FEMA Response by the Numbers

Below is a table provided by FEMA on (DATE) with the number of individuals who applied for assistance by state and the status of their applications, including the number of people denied assistance and the reasons for denial.

By State/Territory and Disaster	Referrals	Pending	Withdrawn	Ineligible	Approved
USVI (Maria)	18,645	2,796	774	7,524	7,551
PR (Maria)	845,484	147,316	67,418	271,566	359,184
GA (Irma)	27,466	788	1,956	15,571	9,151
FL (Irma)	1,921,826	29,510	107,554	1,021,363	763,399
PR (Irma)	3,434	321	388	1,539	1,186
USVI (Irma)	13,525	1,261	576	4,971	6,717
TX (Harvey)	740,076	3,959	49,304	325,742	361,071
CA (Wildfires)	15,084	310	1,431	9,058	4,285
Total	3,585,540	186,261	229,401	4,569,577	1,512,544