Two years after hurricanes Katrina and Rita, 125,000 families
remain without permanent housing, and more than 80,000 families
continue to live in FEMA’s toxic trailers. The vast majority of the
housing damaged or destroyed by the storms was affordable for
low-income families. Since the storm, rents in New Orleans have
increased by as much as 100 percent.
Take action now!
The Gulf Coast Housing Recovery Act (S. 1668) is currently stuck
in the Senate. The bill builds on H.R. 1227, which passed the
House earlier this year. The bill, introduced by Senators Chris
Dodd (D-CT) and Mary Landrieu (D-LA), helps low-income families
return home, whether they were renters or lived in public
housing. It increases new homeownership opportunities and shores
up funding deficiencies in Louisiana’s Road Home program. The
bill also includes greater oversight and monitoring of federal
recovery funds for all Gulf Coast states.
Contact your Senators today!
Send an immediate message to your senators through our online
Legislative Action Center. Call the Capitol
switchboard directly at 202-224-3121 where you can ask to be
connected to the offices of your senators.
Message/talking points
After two long years, the people of the Gulf Coast are
still struggling to rebuild their lives. This bill has the support of our partners in the region,
who are working directly with the most vulnerable populations.
This bill not only helps home owners who have not yet
benefited from Louisiana’s Road Home program, but also helps
renters and public housing residents who want to return. Affordable housing is vital to the recovery of all other
sectors of the Gulf Coast. Without it, families cannot return to
work, attend schools, or help rebuild their communities. The average rental costs in New Orleans now amounts to 86
percent of the average salary of hotel workers, 41 percent of
the average salary of an educator, and 37 percent of the average
salary of a health care worker.
Background
For more insight and analysis on this issue, see UUSC’s recent
reporting on the series of weeklong activities commemorating the
second anniversary of hurricane Katrina.
