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Posted on 12/08/2005 4:00:43 PM PST by caryatid
Evacuees hoping to preserve a government program providing hotel rooms to those displaced by Hurricane Katrina have their day in court on Friday, when a federal judge hears an array of complaints against the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
In addition to hearing claims that Katrina victims face unfair and premature eviction from hotels, Judge Stanwood Duval will hear testimony and arguments that FEMA has wrongfully denied rental assistance to some evacuees.
"We plan on calling three victims, at least two of whom are about to be evicted from hotels," said Howard Godnick, an attorney for evacuees, who is seeking to make the lawsuit a class-action on behalf of all Katrina evacuees.
FEMA had set a Dec. 1 deadline for ending the hotel program but extended it to Dec. 15 after widespread criticism. In addition, 10 states -- Alabama, Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nevada, Tennessee and Texas -- will be allowed to apply for extensions lasting until Jan. 7.
But, even after extensions, some could face homelessness if the hotel program ends, Godnick argues. FEMA officials contend that anyone properly registered with FEMA and eligible to receive fedral assistance will have the tools and the funding they need to get temporary housing.
About 41,000 hotel rooms are now occupied under the FEMA program, which has cost the agency about $350 million so far, FEMA spokeswoman Nicol Andrews said Thursday.
In addition to trying to preserve the hotel program, the lawsuit contains a long list of complaints about FEMA's response to Katrina.
For instance, it says that FEMA has unfairly applied a rule limiting housing assistance money to single households, meaning people living at the same address in the storm-struck areas could be forced to share one housing check if they are unrelated and were evacuated to different far-flung areas of the country. Also, the suit seeks to stop FEMA from trying to recoup aid checks that were meant for rent but were spent on other storm-related necessities, and to allow victims to continue receiving rental assistance even if their initial three-month allocation of rent money was not spent on rent but on other needs.
In their response to the lawsuit, government lawyers say the lawsuit should be dismissed under sovereign immunity laws that protect government agencies from liability in the performance of their duties.
Some of the claims in the lawsuit are moot, FEMA lawyers add, noting the single household rule and the rules governing use of the initial rent aid checks were waived after Katrina. Godnick counters that the government has failed to publicise those policy changes.
How cruel and inhumane of us to want to deprive these folks of eternal room service, maid service and happy hours.
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Right there in the Bill of Rights right.? Lines 31- 38...oh..wait..nevermind.
I keep hearing in my head what the resident said a couple of weeks ago when this came down: "there ain't nothin to do except lay around and sleep all day".
I guess axin them to get a job, move themselves out and so on is axin too much..
yea, I remember that..again, axin her to get a job is simply out of the question..
Living the 'moving on up" dream of George Jefferson without paying for it. Schmucks.
are you axin me? How do i know?
It's a big mess is all I can say. There isn't enough available housing for all of the people who need shelter and the money wasted on the hotel rooms and those ugly overpriced fema trailers could build a sturdy no frills house for just about all of them that would last for years.
I think it's stupid though to waste so much money on a very temporary housing. Too bad the able bodied one's aren't on some kind of work crew earning some money to stay in a permanent shelter. I would go nuts if I had to live in a hotel all of this time.
On a positive note, my cousin happens to own a large RV park and you can't slap the smile off of his face. His business was hurting earlier this year because of the high gas prices but he just plowed down the damaged buildings and made more parking spots. It is full to overflowing with a long waiting list.
Are these people stupid, or simply lazy? Every convenience store, every liquor store and every grocery store has a rack of FREE magazines. These magazines sell cars, homes and they also provide FREE Apartment Locator services. All these people have to do, is call the Apartment Locator service, an agent will DRIVE to pick them up, and will personally escort them to a variety of apartments, so these people can chose which apartment best meets their 'Lifestyle'.
Add to this the fact that FEMA will pay up to $2,000/month for a family, these people can live better than I do ... and I have a job and I pay taxes.
nothing wrong with your response other than the fact that they would then be taking care of themselves, and I'm afraid they don't want that..
I keep hearing in my head what the resident said a couple of weeks ago when this came down: "there ain't nothin to do except lay around and sleep all day".""
Why am I cynical enough to think that this is NOT an isolated comment from just one of thousands that have been displaced by the hurricane??? Why??
Oh, I don't know about that! They seem to be more dependent than ever! LOL
Premature eviction is a common mens problem these days.
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