Title: Agency Update – Transitional Sheltering Assistance in Texas and Puerto Rico Ending

{Intro Music}
[Mark Peterson]This is Mark Peterson and this is an agency update of the FEMA podcast. Today is June 27th, 2018 is transitional sheltering assistance for Texas and Puerto Rico. Residents affected by last fall's hurricanes will be ending this Saturday, June 30th, 2018. The program was designed to provide short term accommodations such as hotel stays for individuals impacted by disasters to help them transition from congregate shelters such as gymnasiums to a more temporary or permanent housing option. While TSA is temporary, it is a key resource for immediate needs and is just one part of FEMA has much larger comprehensive approach to post disaster housing. The TSA program has provided shelter to more than 61,000 individuals in Puerto Rico in Texas since September 2017, making it the longest and largest temporary shelter mission in the history of the program. We wanted to explain the TSA program and how it fits into a combined effort by governmental and nonprofit agencies to assist disaster survivors transition from short term sheltering to long term housing. So I'm joined by Zach Gusher from FEMA individual assistance program to help us understand where we're at with the program and whatever. Zach, thanks so much for taking some time today to talk with me and help our listeners understand you did some of the upcoming changes to housing for disaster survivors in Puerto Rico and Texas. So can you explain for everybody what the TSA program is and how it fits into an overall housing mission for these disasters and really for any disasters. But um, as we approach this a deadline this Saturday, you know, how it fits into the overall assistance provided for the hurricanes last fall. 
[Zach Usher] Certainly mark, which stands for transitional sheltering assistance, is one of a variety of forms of assistance that FEMA may provide when requested by the governor of a state or a commonwealth. TSA provides emergency lodging assistance to disaster survivors who are unable to return to their primary residence. The TSA program is administered according to eligibility criteria specified by the requesting governor and these criteria to determine which survivors who registered for FEMA assistance can receive emergency lodging assistance. 
[Mark Peterson] So when we talk about emergency lodging, what are we, what are we looking at there, what does that really mean to the survivor, 
[Zach Usher] what emergency lodging means for survivors is that if eligible, they will be able to contact a hotel or motel that's participating in the CFA program and they will be able to check in along with members of family to that hotel for a specified period of time when they check in, they'll be informed about the end date of the eligibility period and they'll also be informed that while FEMA will cover the cost of the room and the taxes associated with the room, other expenses such as incidentals or meals or other items will not be covered. So the TSA program is really all about making sure someone has a safe, secure and private place to stay. If they meet those eligibility criteria 
[Mark Peterson] to find a hotel near their home that was damaged or are they able to find a place that maybe is closer to relatives in other parts of the country or maybe the island or another state or something like that. 
[Zach Usher] It is flexible, so there is not a requirement for a family or a survivor who's eligible for TSA check into any particular hotel. Instead, the way the program is administered is FEMA makes available a list of participating hotels that's nationwide across all states, territories and commonwealths and as disaster survivor who's eligible for the program can check into a participating hotel that has vacancy at any of those locations nationwide. So as you, as you indicated if it's more appropriate or more helpful for a survivor to check into a hotel that might be near friends and family or might be near a certain resources that are going to help them with their recovery, they're able to do so. 
[Mark Peterson] Zach housing assistance takes a lot of different forms beyond TSA, you know, we provide grant funding and rental assistance to help people get into apartments following a disaster. We, you know, we work with the SBA to give out loans and we have directly just to name a couple. Um, can you briefly speak to some of the options and how they help survivors beyond what TSA provides? 
[Zach Usher] Absolutely. As we mentioned when we started, it's just one form of assistance, a primary form of assistance that's also available to certain disaster survivors is rental assistance and rental assistance. FEMA provided funding an eligible disaster survivor, uh, to secure a safe sanitary accommodations through a commercially available for rental resource or apartment. And that program in that form of assistance can be extended if there's an ongoing need for that resource for an extended period of time. So rental rental is one of the primary ways that if FEMA makes a eight available to survivors that had damage to their primary residence, is rental assistance really kind of what we're, we, we want individuals who are participating in TSA, um, we're looking to try to get them into sort of a, a more medium low a housing solution. 
[Mark Peterson] So is that what we're talking about when we're talking about the rental assistance? 
[Zach Usher] Absolutely. FEMA acknowledges that a reasonable resource for a certain period of time staying in a hotel or a motel for a week or month as had been the case for certain folks is really not an ideal living situation for an individual. Certainly not for a family and it's not the preferred housing solution for an extended period of time. Instead we want to get people into a more permanent housing solution. Ideally we want to help people get back to their community and back into their primary residence, but as a bridge to getting them back into that primary residence which was damaged in a storm. What we make available is rental assistance so that folks can move out of shelters, can move out of hotel rooms into a place with hopefully a full operating kitchen, a little bit more space, uh, so that they can achieve a sense of normalcy in their day to day lives. And that's what parental assistance is intended to support them. 
[Mark Peterson] Zach, we mentioned in our intro that so far the program has provided a TSA assistance to, I think about 61,000 survivors of these hurricanes in Puerto Rico and Texas and uh, and the program is going to be ending this Saturday, June 30th. So how did FEMA decide to end the program on June 30th? What steps were involved to sort of inform the survivors but also decide that it's time to end the program. 
[Zach Usher] So as I mentioned earlier, TSA is a temporary program. It's depended to help survivors transition from emergency shelter to ultimately a permanent housing resources. Typically, the program is limited to no more than six months of system now due to the severity of the hurricanes in 2017. FEMA extended PSA for Puerto Rico and Texas well beyond six months to allow additional time for survivors to develop their permanent housing plans. What we found is that as those housing plans have been finalized for many survivors, uh, we believe they are equipped to transition to a more permanent housing solution. So beginning in early May, FEMA began communicating with the governor's, uh, as well as with those who staying in TSA hotels of the fact that June 30th would be the end of the emergency lodging programs are paid for by FEMA. And then it was important to be working on that permanent housing plan in advance of, in fact, well in advance of this June 30th date, that time theme has made extensive efforts in terms of outreach to every survivor staying in transitional sheltering assistance. We've reached out to folks via telephone, via email, via text message to remind them of the end of the program to emphasize the importance of planning for a more permanent housing solution. We've also done a lot of in person outreach and this is something fairly unique for the TSA program. In many cases, teams of FEMA staff disaster case workers as well as state, local and voluntary organization partners have visited survivors staying in the TSA program at both hotels and motels as well as meeting them at their damaged dwelling to make sure that they understand the end date of the program and to make sure that they understand there are other resources available within the community and through FEMA to help them move towards recovery. 
[Mark Peterson] We mentioned a little bit about how you can find a hotel that meets your immediate need, whether it be living near relatives or possibly even another state. So for TSA participants that you know from Puerto Rico that are currently located in the continental United States, what do they need to understand about their ongoing housing options? 
[Zach Usher] I think the critical thing to understand that it's very important for disaster survivors, uh, whether they be in the continental United States, whether they're in Puerto Rico, to keep in close touch with FEMA to ensure that their disaster assistance application reflects the very most up to date information about their location and about what their unmet needs are. So essential way to stay in touch with FEMA is through our call center and that number, which is one 806 two, one, three, three, six, two will enable disaster survivors diverse to talk with a FEMA case worker to ensure that their application is up to date as well as to discuss with that caseworker what resources or what options may be available to help them with a more permanent housing plan. 
[Mark Peterson] So in the case of residents from Puerto Rico, that housing plan involves them coming back and they're currently in TSA, will help them with their travel arrangements to return. 
[Zach Usher] Yes. So a unique program that FEMA has been has made available in response to the, the devastation from Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico is what we've called a transportation assistance program and what that's all about is for the first time in the history of the agency, FEMA is providing assistance for certain families, those that are checked in to transitional sheltering assistance to return to Puerto Rico. The deadline for utilizing this assistance, uh, to both the book and to take travel or to complete travel funded by FEMA is July first of this year. So we're coming up on that deadline and that travel assistance can include the cost for a survivor and their family for tickets as well as for expenses related to baggage of returning to Puerto Rico from the continental United States. 
[Mark Peterson] TSA Applicants from Puerto Rico decide that they want to stay in the continental United States. What should they know about their housing assistance options? 
[Zach Usher] The most important thing to know is that the primary form of assistance that would be available to those disaster survivors who elect to stay in the continental United States will be rental assistance and rental assistance. When there's a demonstrated need, a can be what we call recertified or extended for additional periods of time, but in order to do that, it's very important that disaster survivors talk with FEMA through our call center at one 800, six two, one, three, three, six, two to discuss the requirements for demonstrating that continued need for rental assistance. 
[Mark Peterson] Zach, um, for, for people that actually need specific help about those travel arrangements to they call the one 800 number for FEMA or is there something specific for them? 
[Zach Usher] So we've got a specific call center number that's been set up to help folks who want to take advantage of transportation assistance survivors can call one 800, three seven, two, one seven, zero five Monday through Sunday from 7:00 AM until 10:00 PM eastern time to book reservations and receive assistance with booking that travel. I want to reemphasize as well the deadline for booking and taking that trip. If it's FEMA funded transportation assistance. If July first 2018. 
[Mark Peterson] Zack, you're speaking to us from, from Puerto Rico. And I want to thank you for the work that you're doing down there. And for taking some time to explain this program to our listeners, 
[Zach Usher] it's my pleasure and it's our privilege and pleasure to assist those from Puerto Rico, Texas and throughout the United States with their disaster recovery. 
[Mark Peterson] For more information about hurricane recovery resources, does it seem as disaster webpages at sema.gov/disaster/4332 for Texas and FEMA.gov/disaster/4339. For Puerto Rico individuals always have the option to call the FEMA help line at one 806 two, one, three, three, six, two for voice. We've linked to this episode on our FEMA facebook page and we invite you to join the conversation in the comments, as we say on every weekly podcast. If you enjoyed this show, be sure to subscribe through the itunes store. You can even download each episode on FEMA Dot Gov. if you have topic ideas or want to let us know what you think, make sure to follow us on our social media accounts or send us an email at FEMA-podcasts@FEMAdotdhs.gov.