SACRAMENTO, Calif. – FEMA has approved a direct housing program for residents of Butte County who have housing needs caused by the 2020 wildfires. The agency is reviewing the housing circumstances of eligible survivors and is making resources available to address identified needs.
Survivors who registered for FEMA disaster assistance before the Dec. 11, 2020, deadline can continue to work with housing specialists to find the best solutions for their temporary housing needs.
Housing Assistance consists of two major components:
- Rental Assistance is the best option. To access FEMA rental assistance funds, applicants must work with FEMA to determine their eligibility. At the same time, FEMA is working with the state of California to provide to Butte County a daily list of rental units available locally. Residents can contact:
- The North Complex Information Line at 530-552-3210; or
- buttecountyrecovers.org/housing-and-shelter/ (A list of Butte County rental resources will be posted on this page the week of Dec. 14, 2020, and be regularly updated).
FEMA is also applying a special authority to provide rental assistance up to 150 percent of the Fair Market Rental rates established by the Department of Housing and Urban Development for Butte County.
NOTE: If rental resources are available within the reasonable commuting radius and offered, survivors are expected to make use of them. Survivors should understand that refusing Rental Assistance offered to them makes them ineligible for Direct Housing options.
- Direct Housing. The first component of the direct housing program is Direct Lease. If rental assistance cannot be used, FEMA may lease blocks of rental units to make them available to applicants meeting eligibility criteria.
If neither of these options is feasible (no rental units available either for individual households to rent or for lease in blocks by the agency), FEMA may provide – on a case-by-case basis – travel trailers placed on individual pads.
FEMA Individual Assistance specialists have called applicants who were potentially eligible for direct housing assistance to clarify their current housing status, potential interim needs and assess which option – if needed – would best fit their household’s temporary housing needs. In Butte County for example:
- More than half of those who lost housing have found their own solutions or told FEMA staff they expect to.
- Staff have identified enough existing rental units in or close to affected communities to meet many families’ temporary housing needs.
Because of the availability of resources, Rental Assistance remains the best option for survivors. It is important that applicants keep in touch with FEMA and update their case information any time it changes.
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12/14/2020