Assistance for Housing and Other Needs

FEMA may provide money and other services to help you recover from losses caused by a Presidentially declared disaster such as damage to your home, car, and other personal items.

FEMA does not provide assistance for small businesses impacted by a disaster. Our partner, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), offers low interest loans for business damage. Also, we do not offer housing assistance for secondary homes, only for your primary residence.

What FEMA Assistance Covers

FEMA can provide assistance to homeowners and renters for items not covered by another source, like insurance. 

You may qualify for FEMA disaster assistance even if you have insurance. However, you will need to file a claim with your insurance provider and submit the insurance settlement or denial letter to FEMA to determine your eligibility for some forms of assistance. 

Apply for FEMA Assistance at DisasterAssistance.gov

Housing Assistance

Assistance may include:

• Money for temporary housing while you are unable to live in your home, such as rental assistance or reimbursement for hotel costs
• A temporary housing unit, if approved for the disaster, when you are not able to use rental assistance due to a lack of available housing resources
• Money to help eligible homeowners support the repair or replacement of owner-occupied homes that serve as the household’s primary residence, including privately-owned access routes, such as driveways, roads, or bridges.  Eligible repairs are intended to make the home safe to live in and may not restore the home to its pre-disaster state.
• Money for specific hazard mitigation measures to help eligible homeowners repair or rebuild stronger, more durable homes

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View the Hazard Mitigation Under the Individuals and Households Program Factsheet.

Other Needs Assistance

Assistance may include funds for:

• Damaged essential household items (room furnishings, appliances), clothing, clean-up items (wet/dry vacuum, dehumidifier), tools and specialized clothing required for your job, necessary educational materials (computers, schoolbooks, supplies), and certain accessibility items
• Damage to an essential vehicle
• Disaster-related funeral and burial expenses
• Disaster-related child-care expenses
• Disaster-related medical and dental expenses, to include injury or illness, loss of medical equipment, such as breast-feeding equipment, and disability-related expenses, such as the loss or injury of a service animal
• Moving and storage expenses, to include the moving and storage of essential household goods to prevent further damage and returning the goods to your primary residence or moving to a new primary residence following disaster damage) 

For additional information about Other Needs Assistance, please visit Chapter 3, Section VI in the Individual Assistance Program and Policy Guide (IAPPG).

Critical Needs Assistance (CNA) is a form of Other Needs Assistance that is not available in all disasters. If CNA is requested and authorized for the declared disaster and you meet the eligibility requirements, you may receive a one-time payment to help with costs incurred for immediate and critical needs because you were temporarily displaced from your primary residence or needed to shelter somewhere other than your home due to the disaster.

These are considered life-saving and life-sustaining items including, but not limited to: