Gov. John Bel Edwards is requesting the Restore Task Force expand the reimbursement grant award for eligible homeowners participating in the Restore Homeowner Assistance Program to 100%.
Currently, the reimbursement amount is 50% and RTF members will discuss and vote on the proposed increase during their meeting Friday, according to an announcement from the governor’s office.
“This program change would result in an additional $110 million in reimbursement grant funds being made available to more than 10,000 eligible homeowners,” says Edwards in his most recent request to expand flood recovery assistance.
The Office of Community Development initially structured the reimbursement portion of the program to meet requirements by the U.S. Department Housing of Urban Development that mandated the limited amount of funding made available for the Restore program be prioritized to assist homeowners with the greatest unmet needs.
If the RTF recommends this latest expansion request, it must then be submitted to HUD for final approval. Upon HUD’s approval, the program will immediately begin working to update grant calculations and contact all eligible applicants, including those homeowners who have already executed their grant agreements.
To date, over 52,000 homeowners have completed the program survey and 37,000 homeowners have submitted formal applications, and 12,750 eligible homeowners have been offered grant awards totaling more than $342 million.
The deadline to complete an initial survey for homeowners wanting to participate in the Restore Program is July 20.
