HUD Opens Housing Assistance Center In Decatur To Help Katrina Evacuees

Former HUD-assisted families can get immediate long-term help

November 16, 2005, ATLANTA, GA - In an effort to give Hurricane Katrina evacuees more long-term housing options, HUD has opened a dozen housing assistance centers in areas with the greatest concentration of evacuees. The centers, including this one in the Atlanta area, were established to house those families through HUD’s Katrina Disaster Housing Assistance Program (KDHAP).

Former public housing residents, Section 8 voucher holders, multifamily scattered sites and HUD-assisted homeless are eligible for this free, 18-month, housing assistance program. Families who were homeless prior to Katrina are also eligible for this assistance.

“Unfortunately, the temporary housing - hotels, motels and shelters - will end sooner than later and families need the means to return to a normal way of life,” said HUD Southeast Regional Director Bob Young. “We opened this center at the DeKalb County Housing Authority and the Decatur Housing Authority to encourage families who received HUD assistance in New Orleans, Biloxi or any area devastated by Katrina to take advantage of HUD’s program that was created specifically for Katrina families.”

Coordinators at the Katrina Disaster Housing Center (KDHC) located at the DeKalb County Housing Authority and the Decatur Housing Authority at 750 Commerce Drive, Suite 110, are ready to help families who meet the HUD criteria to immediately begin receiving housing assistance under KDHAP. Displaced families can decide where they would like to move and HUD will make and pay for the travel arrangements. Upon arriving in their new community, the evacuated family will meet with the local public housing authority officials that will help them to find a suitable private-market rental unit to live.

Families will be given a rental subsidy based on 100 percent of Fair Market Rent in that community. As and example, the Fair Market Rent in DeKalb County is $928 monthly. In Montgomery County, Ala., the Fair Market Rent is $583 monthly.

If a family believes it meets the KDHAP criteria, it needs to call the DeKalb County Housing Authority and Decatur Housing Authority center at (404) 270-2105 to schedule an appointment to meet with KDHAP staff at the site location. If families are unable to travel to the site location, they may call the KDHAP processing center directly at (866) 373-9509. HUD is asking that families register for KDHAP by December 31st.

If families do not meet the KDHAP categories, they may be eligible for the FEMA housing assistance program. Families may call: 1 (800) 621-3362.

HUD is the nation’s housing agency committed to increasing homeownership, particularly among minorities; creating affordable housing opportunities for low-income Americans; and supporting the homeless, elderly, people with disabilities and people living with AIDS. The Department also promotes economic and community development as well as enforces the nation’s fair housing laws. More information about HUD and its programs is available on the Internet at www.hud.gov and espanol.hud.gov.

Contact Information

Donna White

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

Contact via E-mail