The Louisiana Office of Community Development-Disaster Recovery is accepting public comments on an action plan amendment that reallocates Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery funding from The Great Floods of 2016 to recovery programs created for the 2020-21 Storms. The 14-day public comment period starts today and ends at 5 p.m. July 7.
The proposed reallocations listed in Great Floods APA 26 employ an interchangeability of funds provision authorized by Congress. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development requires that any funds used under the interchangeability provision follow all requirements, waivers and alternative requirements associated with the original 2016 appropriation. In other words, the rules follow the money.
This amendment decreases the following program budgets:
- Homeowner Assistance Program
- RLHP Flood Insurance Assistance Program
- Neighborhood Landlord Rental Program
- Neighborhood Landlord Program Phase II
- Neighborhood Landlord Program Phase III
- Multifamily Rental Gap Program
- Piggyback Program
- Resilient and Mixed Income Piggyback Program
- Soft Second Program
- Safe Haven Program
- Louisiana Military Department – Affordable Rental Housing
- Cypress at Ardendale – Affordable Rental Housing
- Middle Market Loan Program
- Fast Gap A Program
- Regional Capacity Building Grant
The amendment also:
- Modifies and increases the Infrastructure Program (Public Assistance Match)
- Modifies the CDBG Homeownership (OCHO) Pilot Program
- Creates the Resilient Communities Infrastructure Program (RCIP)
Additionally, the state can only use interchangeability funds in parishes with areas designated as Most-Impacted and Distressed for both disaster periods. The overlapping MID parishes eligible for this funding are:
- Acadia (limited to zip codes 70526 and 70578)
- Allen
- Ascension
- Assumption
- Beauregard
- Caddo
- Calcasieu
- Cameron
- East Baton Rouge
- East Feliciana
- Grant
- Iberia
- Iberville (limited to zip codes 70764 and 70788)
- Jackson
- Jefferson Davis
- La Salle
- Lafayette
- Lincoln
- Livingston
- Morehouse
- Natchitoches
- Ouachita
- Pointe Coupee
- Rapides
- Sabine
- St. Charles
- St. Helena
- St. James
- St. John the Baptist
- St. Landry (limited to zip code 70570)
- St. Martin (limited to zip code 70517)
- St. Tammany
- Tangipahoa
- Union
- Vermillion (limited to zip code 70510)
- Vernon (limited to zip code 71446)
- Washington
- West Baton Rouge (limited to zip code 71446)
- West Feliciana
- Winn
Per the state’s original action plan, HUD considers this amendment substantial because it moves more than $5 million, changes 15% or more of a program’s budget, changes program benefits and adds an activity. After accepting public comments, the state will submit the plan to HUD for final federal approval. Once HUD approves the plan, the state will implement the proposed changes.
The action plan is available at the LOCD-DR website (locddr.la.gov/action-plans) or by calling 225.219.9600.
Members of the public can submit comments in several ways:
- Emailing them to ocd;
- Mailing them to Disaster Recovery Unit, P.O. Box 94095, 70804-9095, Attn: Janice Lovett; or
- Faxing them to the attention of Janice Lovett at 225.219.9605, or
- Sending them from the janice.lovett.
Spanish Para más información sobre el plan de acción, llame al 225.219.9600 o email janice.lovett.