HUD Announces Disaster Relief for Four States

May 11, 2011 (Shirley Allen)

The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has announced they will speed disaster relief assistance to areas of Kentucky, Iowa, Missouri, and Tennessee, providing support to homeowners and low-income renters who have been forced from their homes following the severe storms, tornadoes, and straight-line winds last month.

In Kentucky the counties of Ballard, Boone, Bracken, Campbell, Carlisle, Carroll, Carter, Crittenden, Daviess, Fleming, Fulton, Gallatin, Henderson, Hickman, Kenton, Lawrence, Livingston, McCracken, Morgan, Nicholas, Oldham, Owen, Union and Washington have been declared disaster areas and are eligible for foreclosure relief and other assistance to certain families.

In Missouri, the eligible areas are Butler, Mississippi, New Madrid, Saint Louis and Taney Counties. In Tennessee, the eligible counties are Chester, Davidson, Decatur, Dickson, Henderson, Humphreys, Lake, Shelby, and Sumner, and in Iowa, assistance is available statewide.

“Families who may have been forced from their homes need to know that help is available to begin the rebuilding process,” said HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan. “Whether it’s foreclosure relief for FHA-insured families or helping these counties to recover, HUD stands ready to help in any way we can.”

Available assistance includes:

- Offering the State of Tennesse and other entitlement communities the ability to re-allocate existing federal resources toward disaster relief– HUD's Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and HOME programs give the State and communities the flexibility to redirect millions of dollars to address critical needs, including housing and services for disaster victims. HUD is currently contacting State and local officials to explore streamlining the Department's CDBG and HOME programs in order to expedite the repair and replacement of damaged housing;

- Granting immediate foreclosure relief– HUD granted a 90-day moratorium on foreclosures and forbearance on foreclosures of Federal Housing Administration (FHA)-insured home mortgages;

- Making mortgage insurance available– HUD's Section 203(h) program provides FHA insurance to disaster victims who have lost their homes and are facing the daunting task of rebuilding or buying another home. Borrowers from participating FHA-approved lenders are eligible for 100 percent financing, including closing costs;

- Making insurance available for both mortgages and home rehabilitation– HUD's Section 203(k) loan program enables those who have lost their homes to finance the purchase or refinance of a house along with its repair through a single mortgage. It also allows homeowners who have damaged houses to finance the rehabilitation of their existing single-family home; and

- Offering Section 108 loan guarantee assistance– HUD will offer state and local governments federally guaranteed loans for housing rehabilitation, economic development and repair of public infrastructure.

For more information, visit www.hud.gov.

Tags: HUD, disaster relief assistance, homeowners, low-income renters, foreclosure relief, mortgage insurance, loan guarantee assistance