[StBernard] State Develops Solutions to Louisiana Land Trust Issue

[Westley Annis]

State Develops Solutions to Louisiana Land Trust Issue

Data sharing agreement gives group additional access to closing documents

BATON ROUGE (February 20, 2008) - The Louisiana Land Trust (LLT) will now have access to additional closing documents from Road Home program properties it owns, thanks to a new data sharing agreement being finalized this week.

Just days after the LLT's Executive Director Nadine Jarmon made a presentation to the Louisiana Recovery Authority's (LRA) board, the LRA, the Office of Community Development (OCD) and ICF International, the contractor that runs the Road Home program, completed a process that gives the LLT access to additional closing papers on properties it owns.

"At the LRA and the Office of Community Development, we're looking for quick, common sense solutions to issues that could hamper the state's recovery from the hurricanes," said LRA Executive Director Paul Rainwater. "The Louisiana Land Trust needed better access to information to be able to do its job and working together, we were able to iron out this wrinkle in the process."

When homeowners choose "Option 2" or "Option 3" under the Road Home program and sell their homes to the state, the LLT takes ownership of the properties. It is responsible for securing and maintaining the properties until it turns them over to parishes for redevelopment.

Complete closing documents are necessary for the LLT to prove ownership, insure and maintain the correct properties and prevent residents from staying on a property after selling their homes to the LLT.

"We own properties in communities across the state until such time that we can turn them over to parishes for redevelopment, so having correct closing documents is critical to our mission," said Jarmon. "We want to be good neighbors to the many homeowners who chose to keep their homes, and this agreement helps us do that." 

Parishes must present their plans for the properties from the LLT for review and approval by the LRA Board before the properties are made available to them for redevelopment. So far, the LRA has approved plans for Orleans and Jefferson parishes. All parish plans must be submitted and approved by June 2008. 

At its February meeting, the LRA Board approved an action plan that provides program guidance on the disposition of properties sold to the state through the Road Home program to the LLT. This action plan still needs approval from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

Hurricanes Katrina and Rita devastated South Louisiana, claiming 1,464 lives, destroying more than 200,000 homes and 18,000 businesses. The Louisiana Recovery Authority (LRA) is the planning and coordinating body that was created in the aftermath of these storms to lead one of the most extensive rebuilding efforts in the world. The LRA is a 33-member body which is coordinating across jurisdictions, supporting community recovery and resurgence, ensuring integrity and effectiveness, and planning for the recovery and rebuilding of Louisiana. 

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