Working Together To Rebuild The Gulf Coast 

Release Date: November 3, 2005
Release Number: 1603-136

» More Information on Louisiana Hurricane Katrina
» More Information on Louisiana Hurricane Rita

BATON ROUGE, La. -- In response to Hurricane Katrina’s impact, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has implemented an aggressive and coordinated housing operation.

To ensure success in this massive campaign, FEMA has partnered with state and local governments in the Katrina-impacted area. Several other federal agencies, first responders on the front lines and dedicated volunteers of private non-profit groups and faith-based organizations are also united in the effort. These entities have joined together to form the Joint Housing Solutions Center (JHSC).

Following is an example of participants in the JHSC. **

Federal Agencies:
- U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development
- U.S. Department of Agriculture
- U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
- U.S. Small Business Administration

State/Local
- State
- Parishes
- Municipalities
- Louisiana State University

Private:
- National Association of Realtors
- National Association of Home Builders
- American Institute for Architects
- Home Depot Active in Disaster

Non-Profit/Faith-Based
- Habitat for Humanity
- American Red Cross
- National Voluntary Organizations
- Habitat for Humanity
- Church World Services

Those involved in the process believe each step in a displaced person’s housing solution should increase their quality of life and move them closer to home. The JHSC was designed to facilitate the coordination of re-housing ideas, innovations, strategies, solutions, and resources from all levels of government and all sectors of the society under one roof. The intent is to support the housing mission by providing impacted states a better and broader spectrum of housing options and solutions.

The JHSC’s first priority is to work with each community to understand their needs and plans. Early feedback in Louisiana indicated local leaders had concerns about temporary housing being placed in their areas. While wanting to help their fellow Louisianians, local officials also wanted to be sure temporary housing didn’t negatively impact the surrounding communities.

The JHSC worked with local and national community planners and developed a template for transitional communities. These transitional communities not only provided temporary housing but included room for parks, support facilities and retail businesses to be located in a neighborhood setting. In addition, the utilities, streets and other improvements made by FEMA to support travel trailers combined with the neighborhood layout makes it possible for the owner of the property to develop the land into permanent residences when the need for temporary trailers has passed. This approach has been widely endorsed and several transitional communities are in the planning phase using the JHSC template.

JHSC members also worked with the State of Mississippi to begin a pilot community development model. This process began in early October to formulate a plan that would turn adversity into opportunity. Like Louisiana, Mississippi’s long-term recovery goal is to assure the impacted communities are even better places to live after the hurricane than before.

In Alabama members of the JHSC met with community leaders in the Bayou La Batre area shortly after the hurricane and assisted them with their recovery needs. One identified need was additional housing for the elderly. The JHSC brought federal resources to Bayou La Batre to help provide the funding for that housing and continues to address needs as they arise.

With the diversity, power and resources of JHSC combined with state and community leaders and federal agencies, the JHSC focuses on six critical areas of housing disaster recovery: Bricks & Mortar (home design and construction), Community Services, Disaster and Recovery Policy, Housing Finance and Insurance, Community Planning and Infrastructure. By focusing on action in these key areas, the JHSC endeavors to be a tool in the rebuilding of the Gulf Coast.

**For a complete list of JHSC participants, or for more information, call 281-615-6086 or send an email to HousingSolutions@dhs.gov

FEMA prepares the nation for all hazards and manages federal response and recovery efforts following any national incident. FEMA also initiates mitigation activities, trains first responders, works with state and local emergency managers, and manages the National Flood Insurance Program and the U.S. Fire Administration. FEMA became part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on March 1, 2003.

Last Modified: Friday, 04-Nov-2005 09:31:40