As millions are affected by Hurricane Ian, administration says it is looking into deferment.
This past week, as Hurricane Ian hit the state of Florida, Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Representative Adriano Espaillat of New York questioned President Biden’s administration regarding the Disaster Assistance and Supportive Housing (DASH) program. The housing program, through the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Department of Housing and Urban Development, is intended to assist disadvantaged residents displaced by natural disasters through subsidized housing. The program was scheduled to commence by March 2022 and be in operation by the hurricane season this year, but it has been deferred.
In their letter to agency leaders, Senator Warren and Representative Espaillat requested an update, stating, “We are concerned that despite [Federal Emergency Management Agency] and [the Department of Housing and Urban Development]’s intention of making the program available for the 2022 Atlantic hurricane season, which is expected to produce above-normal storm activity, program implementation appears to have stalled.”
On Friday, Senator Ed Markey, also of Massachusetts, joined Senator Warren in reintroducing the Housing Survivors of Major Disasters Act “to help communities affected by major natural disasters access housing assistance.”
As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…
- For FEMA Director Criswell as she responds to the inquiry by legislators over the deferred housing program.
- For Secretary Fudge as she oversees HUD’s collaboration with FEMA on the program.
- For Senators Warren and Markey as they proposed a bill for disaster housing.
Sources: ABC News, Markey.Senate.gov
