Eligibility
Applicants may be eligible for direct temporary housing if they are:
- Homeowners or renters whose home received major damage (significant structural damage that requires extensive repairs and is not safe and functional to live in) or has been destroyed (total loss or damaged to such an extent that repair is not feasible) as a result of the disaster (based on the FEMA inspection); and are
- Your primary residence is within one of the four counties designated for FEMA’s Direct Temporary Housing assistance (Breathitt, Knott, Letcher, Perry).
What Happens Next?
If applicants meet the criteria for direct temporary housing, they will be contacted by FEMA.
Applicants who do not qualify for direct temporary housing may qualify for rental assistance. FEMA rental assistance provides temporary financial help, so disaster survivors have somewhere to live while they make plans for permanent housing.
Direct Temporary Housing Options Can Include:
- Transportable Temporary Housing Units – FEMA may place a travel trailer or Manufactured Housing Unit (MHU) on a private site or in a commercial park. FEMA may also coordinate with the Commonwealth and local officials to construct group sites for several transportable housing units.
- Applicants approved for a travel trailer or MHU must sign a Revocable License and Receipt of Government Property prior to moving into the unit.
- Direct Lease – FEMA may lease existing, ready-to-occupy residential properties for use as temporary housing. Eligible property types may include vacation rentals, corporate apartments, second homes, single-family homes, cooperatives, condominiums, townhouses, and other readily fabricated dwellings. Direct lease is for eligible applicants whose housing needs cannot be met with other direct temporary housing assistance options.
- Multi-family Lease and Repair – FEMA funds the repair or improvement of existing vacant multi-family rental properties that eligible applicants can use for temporary housing.
- Applicants approved for Multi-family Lease and Repair, or Direct Lease must sign a temporary housing agreement with FEMA and an occupant lease with the property owner prior to moving into the unit.
The applicant’s need for direct temporary housing will be re-evaluated on a regular basis while participating in the Direct Temporary Housing program. To remain in a unit, all applicants must comply with the temporary housing agreement and, if applicable, the occupant lease. This includes demonstrating progress towards a permanent or longer-term housing plan.
Survivors who have applied with FEMA for assistance do not need to reapply to be eligible for Direct Housing. If a survivor has not yet applied with FEMA, they can do so by going to DisasterAssistance.gov, by calling the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362 or downloading the FEMA mobile app.
For an accessible video on how to apply for assistance go to youtube.com/watch?v=WZGpWI2RCNw.
For the latest information on Kentucky flooding recovery, visit fema.gov/disaster/4663 and follow FEMA on Twitter at twitter.com/FEMARegion4. Visit the Governor’s website at governor.ky.gov/disaster-response/flood-response.