The trailers were only one part of FEMA’s housing assistance program. Tens of thousands of other families moved into apartments that were paid for by the agency.
Posted on 06/04/2009 7:34:13 AM PDT by Zakeet
Hurricane Katrina victims around the Gulf Coast who were told to vacate their temporary trailers by the end of May will instead be allowed to buy them for $5 or less, White House officials announced on Wednesday.
The Department of Housing and Urban Development will also give the 3,450 families still in trailers or temporary housing — including many elderly, poor and disabled people — priority for $50 million in permanent housing vouchers. The money for the vouchers was appropriated by Congress last year.
Some of those living in trailers are destitute and have no other housing. Others, including many people in New Orleans, are living in trailers outside their damaged homes, while waiting to complete repairs that would allow them to move back.
[Snip]
Almost two-thirds of those still in trailers are homeowners who are trying to complete their repairs. Many said they had been bilked by contractors or had received grants from the Road Home, a taxpayer-financed program to help rebuild houses, only in the last few months.
[Snip]
Mobile homes will be sold by the government for $5, and smaller “park model” travel trailers will go for $1. The smallest travel trailers, which do not meet the government’s definition of “manufactured housing,” and any units whose formaldehyde levels exceed safety standards, will not be sold.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
The trailers were only one part of FEMA’s housing assistance program. Tens of thousands of other families moved into apartments that were paid for by the agency.
the disaster that keeps on giving.
How many cities have been hit by hurricanes and are still getting massive funding for it nearly a decade later?
Good return on our money. Jeepers!
I wonder what our return will be on GM?
And this is the federal government that wants to run your health care. Are we totally INSANE???
The new, new ninth ward.
Your tax dollars hard at work.......
Whern GM flops will we get to buy the cars for $5.00?
Of 750,000 claims filed by Texans as a result of last year’s hurricane, Ike, FEMA has denied 680,000. This story is getting NO press, but once again Texas suffers. Lets not forget who came to the rescue of Kartina victims before the Feds got there.
And another temporary program becomes permanent.
Buy for $5, sell for $2500 and make a killing.
Disgusting.
Those trailers are taxpayer property and should be returned for auction.
Others, including many people in New Orleans, are living in trailers outside their damaged homes, while waiting to complete repairs that would allow them to move back. .............................................. They better put pontoons on the trailers while they wait for their (hopefully, stilt) homes to be built.
Man, I need to move to hurricane alley so I can get free housing one day.
An added bonus is he will be adding more votes for his 2012 election.
You have to be from chocolate city.
Typical government semantic exercise. They are moved off the government rolls by giving them the trailer.
One does wonder whether the “victims” will complain about the trailer they are “buying”.
is this supposedly stimulus?
half of them will be sold or made into scrap metal a year after the ownership changes hands.
Whata cluster^%$#.
That was MY first thought - they'll complain about what is given to them.
>>Those trailers are taxpayer property and should be returned for auction.<<
The problem is that they CANNOT be sold for auction by the government. They used to (we watched tons of these auctions). but someone decided that they have a formaldehyde problem and the sales stopped.
So what will happen is that, like you said, the “new” owners will sell them for profit AND sue the government for health problems related to living in one.
But are you the right color and/or minority?
If you're a white male, I don't think, you qualify, unless you're homosexual.
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