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Housing Advocates Asking HUD To Speed Up Road Home Funding

A letter asking federal officials to help speed up state Road Home money has been delivered to the New Orleans office of the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Some residents are still out of their homes — almost eight years after Hurricane Katrina. 

M.A. Sheehan represents the Lower Ninth Ward Homeownership Association. She says red tape is slowing Katrina recovery throughout the city.

Sheehan says $110 million was allocated by Congress in 2007 for the Road Home program, but guidelines for spending that money have been in discussions with the state for over a year.

“I think we should have everybody on the same page. We don’t want them to issue something and then find out that HUD can’t approve it and then we’re back to the drawing board. I think it’s a good process that they are working together before they issue it publicly. The problem is it’s just taking too long.” 

HUD responded to the letter, saying it expects public comment will be taken soon, and it will review plans as quickly as possible.

Sheehan says the new guidelines will help victims of contractor fraud get more money to finish their repairs.  

Eileen is a news reporter and producer for WWNO. She researches, reports and produces the local daily news items. Eileen relocated to New Orleans in 2008 after working as a writer and producer with the Associated Press in Washington, D.C. for seven years.

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