[FoCHAT] CHAT Announcements and One LRA Message

Wed Sep 19 11:11:04 PDT 2007

Dear FoCHAT Member,

  For the meeting this evening, we will try to keep the time to no more than 1 hr and 10 min.

  Here is a breakdown:

   A: Report from Shawn on LRA Housing Task Force Working Group meeting including about elevation allowances and general discussion- 20 min    
  B. Report from Melanie on LA certified appraisals, applicants in dispute resolution or appeals for more than 2 months, downsizing of grant amounts without prior notice at closing, waivers for covenants in case of illness, Congress covering the shortfall, & other needed RH-relevant Cong. legislation including unfair tax problemsfor RH grantees (see below for CHAT's position on this which has been posted for weeks) - 30 min

  C. Updates from several applicants (only 2 min each)-14 min

  D. Other Business and announcements- 6 min 

  _______________________________________________________________________

  Announcements:
  From a top LRA official:
  ICF has been telling some applicants that there is a deadline to turn in options letter (even if they did not receive that letter). There is no deadline at all at the present time for anyone to turn in their options letter. You cannot lose your grant for failure to complete any action other than scheduling the first interview with RH and submitting the required papers at that time.

  From CoreCHAT Member & Gentilly Civic Improvement Assn. Founder Scott Darrah:
  The link below is to sign the petition on the Friends of New Orleans website to bring a Presidential Debate to New Orleans for the upcoming election. 
    http://friendsofneworleans.change.org/nonprofit_page/nonprofit_events/94511 

  From CoreCHAT Member Michelle Thompson, Visiting Scholar Cornell University - 
Department of City & Regional Planning :
  The New Orleans Neighborhood Analysis Project (NONAP) is a volunteer activity to support the active recovery of New Orleans, Louisiana. A core NONAP goal is to provide  geospatial training through the use of global positioning system (GPS) and geographic information systems (GIS) technologies that could significantly enhance the recovery process and serve as a model for future community driven recovery efforts. The Alternative Fall Break (AFB) will include training for the recovery monitoring field study to collect images and geospatial data of properties for the New Orleans Community Information System (NOcis). AFB Students/Community Advocates/Resident Volunteers will

  1. Work in teams with local/non-local students, residents and community volunteers. 
  2. Obtain instruction on the use of global positioning systems (GPS) for use in geographic information systems (GIS) for community asset mapping. 
  3. Conduct priority survey research in the 9th Ward and Gentilly neighborhoods to monitor recovery activity. 
  4. Participate in the collection of oral histories of formerly displaced residents who are rebuilding
  For info see: http://courses.cit.cornell.edu/nonap/

  From http://chat.thinknola.com  Please tell your friends and neighbors to sign up for our email network if they haven't. There are no dues and they only have to give their name and email address. We never share email lists.
  We ask our Louisiana Congressional delegation to publicly and unconditionally commit to advocating and working for passage of the following

   Legislation to remove the shortfall with fully adequate, not scrimpy, funding.   
   Legislation to make the $1.2 billion appropriated as FEMA money for the Road Home Program for mitigation and house-elevation allowances available to the Road Home Program with reasonable regulations, not absurd requirements for cost-benefit analyses and environmental reviews. This release of the FEMA money to the Road Home Program is provided in the pending Senate bill S.1668, Gulf Coast Housing Recovery Act of 2007. This bill includes the following. It requires the Administrator of FEMA to allow specified uses by Louisiana of certain funds under the Road Home Program. Requires state reports, made public on the Internet, on the Road Home Program. Authorizes additional funds for the Road Home Program. Cosponsors [as of 2007-08-26], by Sen. Barbara Boxer [D-CA], Sen. Sherrod Brown [D-OH], Sen. Richard Durbin [D-IL], Sen. John Kerry [D-MA], Sen. Mary Landrieu [D-LA], and Sen. Barack Obama [D-IL].   
   Legislation to exempt the Road Home Awards from Federal Tax Penalties: Louisiana asks Congress to exempt homeowners who claimed a casualty loss deduction on their 2005 federal income tax return from having to pay this money back to the IRS upon receipt of the Road Home grant. Homeowners who received a casualty loss deduction and decide to rebuild are penalized by having to repay the IRS, while homeowners who received the deduction and decide to sell their property and move away are not penalized. Louisiana urges Congress to exempt tax penalties from the Road Home awards (S.29/H.R.641). From Gov. Blanco’s press release of Feb. 9, 2007.   
   Clarify SBA Loan Treatment Relating to Road Home Grants: Congress needs to instruct the SBA on the difference between a loan and a grant. A federal requirement exists that Road Home Grants be utilized to repay SBA Loans. Our homeowners need capital to rebuild their homes. Forcing them to repay loans with grant proceeds does not give them capital, it forces them to go elsewhere. Louisiana asks Congress to provide a full fix to this problem as homeowners struggle to return home. From Gov. Blanco’s press release of Feb. 9, 2007. 

  Best wishes,

  Melanie Ehrlich
  http://chatforfairness.org  for our online survey which has been and is very important for advocating for program improvement

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