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Massachusetts Hurricane Recovery Resources for Evacuees
The Commonwealth has coordinated efforts across the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA), the Executive Office of Health and Human Services, the Executive Office of Education, the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development, the Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development, the Executive Office for Administration and Finance, and other secretariats and agencies to support evacuees. In addition, we are working closely with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to identify all disaster assistance programs and resources available through the federal government. The following is a brief summary of the various resources and pathways to support available to evacuees through multiple agencies and programs:
Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA)
MA 2-1-1, which is operated by the United Way and has a contract with the state, has been designated as the single point of intake in the Commonwealth for evacuees and their families. Upon receiving a call, 2-1-1 conducts an intake and immediate needs assessment, and if the evacuee may need services or support, he or she is referred to a Family Resource Center in the region of the state in which the evacuee intends to reside. A listing of Family Resource Center locations and contact information can be found at (https://www.frcma.org/locations).
If evacuees with emergency needs come to the attention of MA 2-1-1 or other organizations during non-business hours, the Red Cross will provide funds for hotel rooms and other items such as food and clothing until the next business day when the evacuee(s) will be referred by 2-1-1 to a Family Resource Center. The Red Cross is being reimbursed for its costs through a grant to MEMA from the Massachusetts United for Puerto Rico Fund.
Family Resource Centers
The Commonwealth
’s
22 Family Resource Centers (FRC) are helping evacuees register with FEMA for disaster benefits and providing critical case management support to individuals and families impacted by Hurricane Maria.
These Family Resource Centers are:
Connecting individuals with career centers and helping individuals who are looking for employment
Helping individuals and families apply for Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA) and MassHealth benefits if eligible
Connecting families and individuals to local non-profit organizations who may be able to provide donated goods and other resources to meet urgent needs
Collaborating with federal, state and local partners, including regional housing
agencies (HCEC’s) and r
egional Community Action Programs (CAP agencies), to
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provide support to evacuees living with host families and to access federal, local and private temporary shelter options if needed
Providing guidance from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education about enrolling children in school
For a full list of services being provided by the FRCs please visit the website at https://www.frcma.org/content/services.
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Resources and Programs
Individuals who have evacuated from Puerto Rico should immediately apply for Individual Assistance from FEMA.
The following provides brief descriptions of several of FEMA’s disaster
assistance programs that eligible Hurricane Maria disaster survivors from Puerto Rico may be able to access. This document does not detail all FEMA disaster assistance programs. All disaster survivors must apply directly to FEMA for benefits through
disasterassistance.gov or (800) 621-3362 or TTY: (800) 462-7585
. FEMA will coordinate directly with the applicant to determine eligibility of the applicant/household for the various programs.
Transitional Shelter Assistance (TSA) Program
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FEMA and Puerto Rico have activated the TSA program for eligible applicants through January 13, 2018. TSA is a hotel voucher program that provides eligible disaster survivors with short term housing at hotels that are under contract with FEMA to provide rooms to disaster survivors. Currently, FEMA has approved TSA for eligible applicants for an initial period of 75 days with plans to conduct a 30-day mid-term assessment. FEMA may extend TSA benefits beyond 75 days based on FEMA reassessment and approval. Please note: TSA will be available to all eligible applicants. Since this program was activated on October 31
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, individuals who have already registered for FEMA assistance prior to that date should reach out to FEMA to obtain information on the program and verify eligibility. Eligible survivors can find the list of TSA-approved hotels on www.disasterassistance.gov, and click on the Transitional Sheltering Assistance (TSA) Program
Individuals and Households Program (IHP) -
There are two components to the IHP Program: a.) Housing and b.) Other Needs Assistance (ONA). The maximum total benefit across both programs that an individual or household can receive for Puerto
Rico’s presidential disaster declaration is $33,300.
A.)
Housing Assistance
- Provides funding to eligible households up to the program maximum for necessary housing-related expenses and other significant needs that cannot be met through other means, including temporary housing (see below for more details), repair or replacement of existing home, and/or semi-permanent or permanent housing construction. Please note: Housing Assistance benefits
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generally are not made available to applicants until FEMA has verified damage to the primary dwelling by conducting a home inspection. In addition, applicants must have a representative onsite when the FEMA inspection is conducted (given the current volume of applicants, inspections are occurring approximately 30 - 45 days after a household has filed an application). The temporary housing assistance programs are as follows:
Lodging Expense Reimbursement (LER)
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Applicants who incur out-of-pocket temporary lodging expenses may be reimbursed for these expenses. Temporary lodging needs must be a
direct result of the applicant’s primary residence being rendered
uninhabitable because of impacts from the presidentially-declared disaster.
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LER may be awarded from the start date of the incident, up to and not to exceed seven days from the approved date of any initial Rental Assistance award (see below for more detail on Rental Assistance).
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Home must be uninhabitable or inaccessible (requires inspection).
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Receiving temporary lodging for same dates through Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD) or a similar organization is a duplication of benefit.
Rental Assistance
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Provided to applicants to rent temporary housing when displaced from their primary residence as a result of a presidentially-declared disaster.
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Primary home must be uninhabitable or, inaccessible or, affected by utility outages or, unavailable due to forced relocation (i.e., property owner restricting access).
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While receiving Rental Assistance a Permanent Housing Plan will be developed for the applicant by FEMA.
Continued Rental Assistance
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Provided based on need, and generally only when adequate, alternate
housing is not available, or when the applicant’s Permanent Housing
Plan has not been fulfilled through no fault of the applicant.
B.)
Other Needs Assistance (ONA)
- Provides funding to eligible applicants for uninsured, underinsured, or disaster-related necessary expenses and serious needs, not housing related, that cannot be met through other means. Under this program, financial assistance may be provided for childcare, medical and dental expenses,