Key West The Newspaper

If you are a Hurricane Irma survivor who has been placed in a FEMA-provided housing unit, you will need to show progress toward your long-term housing plan in order to maintain eligibility.

To continue receiving assistance, you are required to search for long-term housing options.

You can show long-term housing plan progress if you:

• Decide whether to repair or rebuild your pre-disaster home, find and purchase a new residence, or find and lease an available rental unit;
• Provide evidence of progress—such as invoices for repairs, contract for rebuild or a lease for a new home—or cause for delays outside your control;
• Achieve long-term housing plan goals in a reasonable time frame;
• Fulfill requests to communicate and meet with FEMA case workers.

FEMA re-evaluates your eligibility on a periodic basis, usually every 30 days, to ensure you continue to meet the requirements, including a demonstrated need for continued assistance.

FEMA may provide you Direct Housing Assistance on a month-to-month basis for:

• Up to six months for a travel trailer; or
• Up to one year for Direct Lease.

Eligibility considerations for Direct Housing include:

• You must live in Collier, Hendry, Lee or Monroe County.
• Your pre-disaster residence has received major damage or been destroyed. This applies to homeowners and renters.
• You must have registered with FEMA for disaster assistance.

Direct Housing includes:

• Travel trailers:
  • Commercial sites: Private-sector travel trailer parks where FEMA can place a temporary housing unit.
  • Private site: A location normally owned by you, usually your damaged dwelling property, on which FEMA can place a temporary housing unit.
• Direct Lease: Private-sector apartments or multi-family residential buildings with rent paid by FEMA.
  • Each unit will contain complete facilities for cooking, eating and sanitation.
  • Units will be within reasonable access to community services such as accessible public transportation, schools, fire and emergency services, grocery stores, etc.
  • All utilities, and cable, if provided, are included in the rent.

For more information call the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362 for voice, 711 and Video Relay Service. If you are deaf, hard of hearing or have a speech disability and use a TTY, call 800-462-7585.

You may also visit a Disaster Recovery Center. A list of DRCs is available on the FEMA Mobile App, online at fema.gov/disaster-recovery-centers or by calling the FEMA Helpline.