BATON ROUGE, La. -- Chris Cheramie isn't a Katrina victim, but he was surprised to learn he is the first person to occupy a home of a kind specifically designed to shelter Louisiana residents displaced by the storm.
...
In December 2006, the Federal Emergency Management Agency announced a $74.5 million grant for Louisiana to build about 500 cottages. More than 18 months later, the state hasn't produced a single unit for storm victims.
...
While Louisiana's Alternative Housing Pilot Program has bogged down in red tape and clashes between state officials and private contractors, thousands of cottages already dot Mississippi's Gulf Coast: Mississippi has spent most of its $281 million share of federal funding to build more than 2,700 cottages for families that were living in FEMA trailers.
...
Former Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco put the state's Housing Finance Agency in charge of the program. Before leaving office last year, Blanco ordered construction of the cottages to begin by the end of November 2007, a target since missed.
Seattle PIOdd, is it not, the gobbermint can decisively move when deciding to remove the homeless from a NOLA tent-city but struggles to create living places.
Printer-friendly format
Email this thread to a friend
Bookmark this thread
(1000+ posts)
Send PM |
Profile |
Ignore
