State of Louisiana takes first steps to drop homeowners required to elevate and reconstruct their homes. In a June email homeowners were told grants will be rescinded of you do not select a contractor by July 31, 2019.

"Dear Homeowner,

You are receiving this notification because you have not closed on your grant award offered by Restore Louisiana.

Please note that you MUST execute your grant agreement by Wednesday, July 31, 2019 or the grant offered will be rescinded and you will no longer be able to participate in the Restore Louisiana Homeowner Assistance Program. "

According to reports filed for April and May the state of Louisiana Office of Community Development Disaster Recovery Unit working under the name of Restore Louisiana Homeowners Program has increased it's speed of processing grant awards by increasing the number of rescinded grants offered to homeowners. 

April of 2019, 30 homeowners have had their HUD CDBG-DR grant awards rescinded by the state for state created policy reasons.

May of 2019 278 homeowners have had their HUD CDBG-DR grant awards rescinded by the state for state created policy reasons.

The state of Louisiana's timing will match the 3rd year since the flood and fall on or close to the anniversary date of the August 12th 2016 floods.

It appears the state has not formally offered homeowners with alternatives to their recovery. With over 2,000 homeowners at risk of losing everything from the flood to include all additional grant funds for unmet needs the state will face additional homelessness and blight as a result of meeting goals and deadline.

HUD officially allows the state to run the distribution of funds up and to the Sept. 2022. The state of Louisiana OCD-DRU has announced several times the closing dates of programs in 2018 and continues by rewording the closing of programs to the rescinding of grant awards. 

"Elsewhere, this notice describes the extension of the expenditure deadline that the Department is authorized to provide to all CDBG-NDR (NDR = National Disaster Resilience) grantees, allowing them to expend funds until September 30, 2022. "

Grantee Name: Louisiana
Grant Number: B-16-DL-22_0001
Grant Award: $1,708,407,000
Balance: $973,501,310
Average of March, April, May Spending: $23,334,110
Grantee Spending Status: On Pace

NOTE: On Pace = Spending greater than the monthly pace required to fully use the grant by target closeout date.

Research Resource:

• Monthly CDBG-DR Grant Financial Report May 31, 2019
• CDBG-DR Reports Posted: Monthly Reports
• Feb. 19th 2019 waivers Public Laws 114-223, 114-254 and 115-31.

• Public Laws 114-223, 114-254 and 115-31.

• Public Laws 114-223 (Approved September 29, 2016) 

• Public Laws 114-254 (Approved December 10, 2016)

• Public Laws 115-31 (Approved May 5, 2017):
  Waivers and Alternative Requirements for CDBG-DR Funds Appropriated by Public Law 114-223, 114-254 and 115-31 (Applicable only to the State of Louisiana)

  
  Pursuant to the Prior Notice, each grantee is required to expend 100 percent of its allocation of CDBG-DR funds on eligible activities within 6 years of HUD's execution of the grant agreement.