Mass Sheltering and Housing Assistance

I. TITLE: Mass Sheltering and Housing Assistance 

II. DATE: July 24, 2006  

III. PURPOSE: 

To establish a strategy for providing sheltering and housing assistance in support of a Presidentially declared emergency or major disaster involving a mass evacuation. This high-level Strategy will be supported by separate and more detailed policies addressing the provisions herein.

SCOPE AND AUDIENCE:

This Strtegy applies to emergencies and major disasters declared on or after the date of publication, above, and until superseded. It is applicable to all states eligible to receive assistance under sections 403, 408, and 502 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act; all Federal agencies that may be directed by FEMA to provide such assistance; and all signatories to the National Response Plan.

AUTHORITY:

Sections 403, 408, and 502 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (hereafter, the Stafford Act), 42 U.S.C. 5121-5206, and implementing regulations at 44 CFR Part 206.

VI. DEFINITIONS/DESCRIPTIONS:

A. Temporary Housing: Any facility which is intended to provide living accommodations for an extended period of time. Within the framework of this Strategy, Temporary Housing includes:

B. Shelter: This Strategy recognizes two distinct forms of sheltering, as follows. Within the framework of this Strategy, the forms of Temporary Housing listed above are not considered shelters.

1. Congregate Shelter. Any private or public facility that provides contingency congregate refuge to evacuees, but that day-to-day serves a non-refuge function. Examples include:

2. Transitional Shelter: A private or public facility that, by design, provides a short-term lodging function and an increased degree of privacy over a congregate shelter. Examples include:

C. 403 Assistance. Assistance provided to States and local governments in accordance with Sections 403 (or Section 502 for Emergency declarations) of the Stafford Act. Within the framework of this Strategy, this principally refers to assistance provided under Category B, Emergency Protective Measures, in support of evacuation and sheltering activities.

D. 408 Assistance. Assistance provided to individuals and households in accordance with Section 408 of the Stafford Act. Within the framework of this Strategy, this refers to temporary housing assistance and/or Other Needs Assistance, depending on the eligibility of the applicant.

E. Eligible Applicant: Any applicant within a Presidentially declared Emergency or Major Disaster area that, upon registration and identity verification with FEMA?, is determi?ned to be eligible for Individuals and Households Program (IHP) assistance under Section 408, in accordance with the provisions (including relevant regulatory guidance) of the Stafford Act.

F. Ineligible Applicant: Any applicant within a Presidentially declared Emergency or Major Disaster area that, upon registration with FEMA, is determined to be ineligible for IHP assistance, in accordance with the provisions of the Stafford Act. Although ineligible for IHP assistance, the applicant may receive congregate and transitional sheltering assistance (through States) under the 403 Public Assistance program.

G. Shelter Registration Protocol: A FEMA evacuation support protocol whereby FEMA field registration personnel and Mobile Registration Intake Centers will be immediately dispatched to pre or situationally designated congregate shelter locations to proactively initiate and accelerate evacuee registrations. This protocol will also include provisions to deploy field registration personnel to organized out-of-state evacuee reception points (e.g., shelters).

H. Expedited Assistance: The option for an eligible applicant to receive (should the program be implemented) an expedited payment of no more than $500 for emergency serious needs and necessary expenses, in advance of a Small Business Administration (SBA) loan determination. This option may be implemented in catastrophic disasters, and when eligible applicants lack access to funds for immediate needs from their own or other sources. Expedited Assistance will be provided under the provisions of the Other Needs Assistance (ONA) authority; will require the consent of the State before the assistance is provided, and will only be provided via mailed check or electronic funds deposit.

I. Authorization Code: A unique code assigned to disaster victims to validate their eligibility for federally-subsidized transitional shelter, if the Transitional Sheltering Protocol is implemented. Codes may only be issued to an individual/household that has registered for FEMA assistance and been verified - through FEMA?s identity verification process - as a legitimate evacuee. Further, evacuees will be required to present positive photo-identification at hotel/motel check-in, or they will be referred to FEMA?s HelpLine.

J. Transitional Sheltering Protocol: A FEMA evacuation support protocol whereby FEMA will authorize and fund, through the use of Authorization Codes, the use of hotels/motels as transitional shelters. Facilities identified as temporary housing under paragraph VI-A are not authorized for use as transitional shelters. This protocol is designed for use in post-disaster situations where States are hosting, in congregate shelters, large numbers of evacuees who will not be able to return to their homes or home States for an extended or indeterminate period of time. Transitional sheltering will be funded under and in accordance with the Public Assistance Program, Category B, Emergency Protective Measures. The initial period of subsidy will be established by FEMA, but may not exceed 30 days. The FEMA Recovery Division Director may subsequently extend the subsidy period, as necessary and appropriate, but for not more than six months from the date of the emergency/disaster declaration. This protocol will only be implemented by FEMA under 403 assistance authority; States may not place disaster victims in hotels/motels on a reimbursable basis.

K. Host-State Temporary Housing Protocol: A FEMA evacuee-support protocol whereby FEMA will, through a contract agent (and for no more than 18 months), coordinate IHP rental assistance payments - at Fair Market Rent - directly to apartment (or other temporary housing) landlords for evacuees eligible for such assistance. While this protocol is designed for use in situations where States are hosting large numbers of evacuees who will not be able to return to their homes, home communities, or home State(s) for an extended period of time, it may also be employed in the affected home State, as well. This protocol will only be implemented under 408 assistance authority; States may not place disaster victims in apartments or other temporary housing on a reimbursable basis.

VII. STRATEGY - PRE-LANDFALL:

A. Upon a Presidential declaration of a pre-landfall Emergency (including designation of Category B Emergency Protective Measures) involving mass evacuation, FEMA will immediately evaluate the scale of the evacuation and, if warranted:

1. Implement the Shelter Registration protocol, based on congregate shelter locations provided by the State(s) and through Emergency Support Function (ESF) 6 (Mass Care, Housing, and Human Services).

2. Fully staff all National Processing Service centers and activate contingency call centers to increase registration intake capaility.

3. Coordinate, through ESF-6, necessary assistance to congregate sheltering activities in affected/supporting States.

4. Immediately establish, under the coordination aegis of ESF-6, a Contingency Housing Assistance Task Force (CHATF), consisting of representatives from Federal, State, voluntary, and private sector organizations, for the purpose of immediately identifying all available housing resources5. Task all ESF-6 housing support agencies (e.g., Department of Housing and Urban Development, Department of Agriculture, Department of Veteran Affairs) to immediately identify the location of all dwellings available to support, if necessary, long-term evacuee housing.

B. If the pre-landfall evacuation overwhelms the sheltering capabilities of the affected State(s) and requires the Federal government to support organized mass interstate relocation, FEMA will, if warranted:

1. Coordinate and provide timely air and/or surface transportation in support of interstate evacuation.

2. Assist the affected State with negotiating and coordinating interstate congregate sheltering availability and victim support.

VIII. STRATEGY ? POST-LANDFALL: 

A. Upon a Presidential declaration of Major Disaster (including designation of Category B ? Emergency Protective Measures and Individual Assistance) involving evacuation, FEMA will immediately evaluate the scale and projected duration of the evacuation and, if warranted:

1. Implement, if not previously accomplished, the Shelter Registration protocol, based on congregate shelter locations provided by the State(s) and through ESF-6.

2. Fully staff all National Processing Service centers and activate, if not previously accomplished, contingency call centers to increase registration intake capability.

3. Coordinate, through ESF-6, necessary assistance to congregate sheltering activities in affected/supporting States.

4. Implement the Transitional Sheltering protocol.

5. Implement Expedited Assistance.

6. Implement, following a validated determination of need, Direct Housing Operations (provision of manufactured housing).

B. If the scale of the evacuation overwhelms the sheltering capabilities of the affected State(s) and requires the Federal government to support organized mass interstate relocation, FEMA will, if warranted: 1. Coordinate and provide timely air and/or surface transportation in support of interstate evacuation. 2. Assist the affected State with negotiating and coordinating interstate congregate sheltering availability and victim support.

C. If the incident produces such devastation and destruction of pre-existing housing stock that a sizable population of evacuees will not be able to return to their home area for an extended perid of time, FEMA will, if warranted:

1. Implement the Host-State Temporary Housing protocol.

2. If not previously accomplished, immediately establish, under the coordination aegis of ESF-6, a Contingency Housing Assistance Task Force (CHATF), consisting of representatives from Federal, State, voluntary, and private sector organizations, for the purpose of immediately identifying all available housing resources.

3. If not previously accomplished, task all ESF-6 housing support agencies (e.g., Department of Housing and Urban Development, Department of Agriculture, Department of Veteran Affairs) to immediately identify the location of all dwellings available to support, if necessary, long-term evacuee housing.

IX. STRATEGY ? EVACUEE RETURN: 

Evacuees physically relocated out of state by the Federal government (via air or ground transportation) may receive return transportation assistance, under the following conditions:

A. If the evacuated area is capable of mass rehabitation (i.e., the hurricane does not cause widespread damage or destruction of evacuee?s residences), FEMA will coordinate and fund, through a mission assignment, return mass transportation to the point of transportation origin.

B. If the evacuated area is NOT capable of mass rehabitation (i.e., large numbers of evacuees cannot return due to widespread damage and destruction of residences), eligible evacuees are authorized - with host-State consent - to use Other Needs Assistance funding to purchase return transportation, once they are able to do so.

X. ORIGINATING OFFICE:  Recovery Division  

XI. REVIEW DATE:  One year from the date of publication. 

_//SIGNED//
___ R. David Paulison
Director
Federal Emergency Management Agency

Last Modified: Wednesday, 26-Jul-2006 21:00:09 EDT