For some households, the information I provide helps them get back in their homes. Others I've had a hand in helping them recovery from some of their disaster debt burden. In any case, when you use the information I provide and it's helpful and makes you more successful with your disaster rebuild or new construction then feel free to contribute what you can and when you can. It helps with the hours of unpaid research and reading.
We need people to help spread the word and assist us in our public public awareness campaign this weekend and all into next week.
The Campaign is to share with the public the promise Governor John Bel Edwards made to the people of Louisiana and to the Task Force as well as to his appointed head of OCD-DRU who controls the Restore Program Patrick Forbes.
The Governor said one thing July 13, 2018 that was later put into print by Director Forbes group and sent to HUD by Lori Dupont who is the Executive Assistant to Patrick Forbes. All was in balance with the world, $683 million was to be held, less $110 million for the 50% to 100% increase in reimbursements.
It was working smoothly, just needed to wait for HUD Guidance which we received June 12, 2019.
But it wasn't smooth, it wasn't public, it was a backroom rewrite of the promise made by Governor Edwards in his opening address. His executive agency Office of Community Development - DRU made a big mistake with numbers and it was Kim Jupiter who sent to HUD an updated version of Action Plan Amendment 9 that removed the promise to hold money until HUD Guidance was issued.
It's not a surprise to many the state has a difficult time budgeting money. Simple math could have had the LSU professors of economics running up the red flag. But the day (July 12, 2018) before the public dog and pony show no one was checking the numbers. It all sounded good.
- Limit total disaster victims to under 16,000, Check!
- Keep the total payout of grants under $580 million, Check!
- Promise the people $683 will be held until HUD Guidance is released, Check!
- Put the the plan to hold $683 million in the Action Plan 9 and send it to HUD, OOPS!
So they lied to you, it wasn't possible, you think the budget of the 55% is off by $64 million today could you imagine if $683 million of $1.7 million was promised to the people and 55% of that had to go to low- to moderate-income people?
It's all speculation to why the Governor promised to hold the money, the director of OCD-DRU promised to hold the money and then they changed their minds 2 days later.
Could it be from the emails sent wanting to close the program that fall?
This is your fight, this is the peoples fight. If you ever have paid a penny in federal taxes this is your fight.
The State of Louisiana promised to wait for HUD Guidance, they published APA 9 with the promise then they changed the plan and didn't inform you the public.
Is this the new politics we are going to except for the rest of our lives? $55 million here, $700 million there, $64 million SBA gone without a trace between July and Dec. 2018. Why do we not have government accountability when it comes to the people?
Governor Edwards and his agency OCD-DRU didn't keep the promise made to you last July, 2018.
Can someone in the Governors Office address this issue and explain why that promise made in APA 9 was changed?
Action Plan Amendment 9 Changed without public notice.
Editors Note: I'll need to work with those that feel up to cross posting in all state representatives state government Facebook pages. I'll be pushing toward news and national. I do want feed back on how it reads. If you are a SBA person this is most likely the most important information of your 2016 flood recovery. Please, if you do not understand ask for clarification. You have to understand, everyone recovering from a disaster has to understand this issue on all levels.
Thanks