BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) — Governor John Bel Edwards says the state has published its proposed action plan to spend $600 million in federal dollars for hurricane recovery.
Specifically, recovery funds are to go to areas affected by Hurricanes Laura and Delta.
A series of public hearings scheduled by the Louisiana Office of Community Development will take place for feedback and input.
“By proactively preparing our state’s action plan, we are taking the first step in getting long-awaited federal assistance on the ground in our communities that are still recovering,” Gov. Edwards said. “With the allocated funding, we will be able to address housing, economic revitalization, infrastructure and planning programs, which is why we need the public to participate in these hearings and provide input on the state’s plan to ensure program priorities are aligned with community needs.”
To view the plan and submit comments, click here.
Public hearings will be taking place starting March 9 in Alexandria, Monroe, Lake Charles and Shreveport. To learn more about public hearings and to register for the virtual meeting, visit restore.la.gov/action-plan.
Once the state has received public comment, the plan will be submitted to HUD for final approval. Upon approval, Edwards said federal funds will go to the following:
- $189 million for the Restore Louisiana Homeowner Assistance Program to address the rehabilitation of owner-occupied households, with a focus on serving the most vulnerable populations.
- $107.6 million for the Affordable Rental and Homeless Prevention programs to repair and increase the inventory of affordable rental housing for impacted renters and provide affordable rental housing for residents displaced by the storms.
- $5.1 million for Economic Recovery and Revitalization programs that provide loans, grants, and technical assistance to small businesses.
- $196 million for infrastructure and non-federal cost-share assistance programs.
- $78 million for mitigation investments that improve resilience.