[StBernard] Community Meetings on Housing Program

[Westley Annis]

Community Meetings on Housing Program Planned for Southeast and Southwest
Louisiana Next Week Public Encouraged to Attend and Provide Feedback on The
Road Home



Baton Rouge -Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco and the Louisiana Recovery
Authority (LRA) will host community meetings to collect feedback from
citizens on the proposed housing plan, known as The Road Home.
 
The meetings will be held on Wednesday, April 12 from 3- 9 pm in Southeast
and Southwest Louisiana.  The meeting in Southeast Louisiana will be held at
the New Orleans Center for the Creative Arts (NOCCA Riverside), which is
located at 2800 Chartres Street in New Orleans. 
The meeting in Southwest Louisiana will be held at the Lake Charles Civic
Center, 900 Lakeshore Drive in Lake Charles. 


Community Meetings on The Road Home Housing Plan Wednesday, April 12, 2006
3-9 pm

Southeast Louisiana
New Orleans Center for the Creative Arts (NOCCA Riverside) 2800 Chartres
Street New Orleans

Southwest Louisiana
Lake Charles Civic Center
900 Lakeshore Drive
Lake Charles

These community meetings will provide a key opportunity for Louisianians to
have a voice in the development of The Road Home housing program.
Participants will be asked to share their thoughts and ideas about the
housing plan through feedback forms, notes placed on discussion boards and
one-on-one discussions with staff. 
 
The meetings are being held in conjunction with the housing plan's 10-day
public comment period, which began Thursday and lasts through April 17.
These events will serve as one of many opportunities citizens will have to
provide comments and feedback on the proposed housing plan.
 Since the plan was introduced in February, comments have been collected
through the LRA website and at Housing Task Force meetings.  Throughout the
official comment period, copies of the plan will also be distributed
at request and made available online at www.louisianarebuilds.info.   
 
The information collected at these meetings and throughout the public
comment period will help shape the proposed housing plan before it is
submitted to the Louisiana Legislature and the U.S. Department of Housing
and Urban Development (HUD) for final approval.
 
The Road Home, first introduced by Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco in
February, was designed by the LRA in conjunction with the Office of
Community Development and national housing experts. The plan would provide
up to $150,000, minus insurance payments and FEMA assistance, to repair,
rebuild, take a buyout or relocate, or sell homes. The proposal also
includes a plan for repairing and rebuilding affordable housing through
incentives for rental property owners and developers. 
 
Hurricanes Katrina and Rita devastated South Louisiana, destroying more than
200,000 homes and 18,000 businesses and inflicting about $25 billion in
insured losses. The Louisiana Recovery Authority was created in the
aftermath of these storms to lead one of the most extensive rebuilding
efforts in the world.  The LRA, a 33-member body appointed by Governor
Kathleen Babineaux Blanco to identify and prioritize short- and long-term
needs of the recovery, is the planning and coordinating body that will
assist in implementing the Governor's vision for the recovery of Louisiana.
It will seek out and value local input as it plans and implements the
recovery.
 
For additional information on the recovery, visit www.lra.louisiana.gov.