HUD OPENS HOUSING ASSISTANCE CENTER IN MEMPHIS TO HELP KATRINA EVACUEES
Former HUD-assisted families can get immediate long-term help

MEMPHIS - 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 Memphis 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 Field Office Director Yvonne Leander. "We opened this center 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 located here at 200 Jefferson Avenue, Suite 300, are ready to help families who meet the HUD criteria to immediately begin receiving housing assistance under KDHAP. D isplaced 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 an example, the Fair Market Rent for a 2-bedroom unit in Shelby County is $636 monthly.

If a family believes it meets the KDHAP criteria, it needs to call the Katrina Disaster Housing Center at
(901) 544-4248 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 31.

If families do not meet the KDHAP categories, they may be eligible for the FEMA housing assistance program.
Families may call (901) 543-4600 or (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 and espanol.hud.gov.

###