HUD, FEMA INCLUDE HURRICANE GUSTAV FAMILIES TO HOUSING ASSISTANCE PROGRAM TO BEGIN NOVEMBER 1ST
Families should register by calling toll-free 1-800- 621-FEMA (3362)
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced today that families who were affected by Hurricane Gustav will also be eligible to receive temporary rental payments and case management services. Families displaced by Gustav will be eligible for the Disaster Housing Assistance Program (DHAP), which will also be utilized by thousands of other families impacted by Hurricane Ike. Slated to begin November 1, 2008, DHAP-Ike will help these families find intermediate housing as they rebuild their lives. More on HUD, FEMA Extend DHAP Assistance to Hurricane Gustav Families
The Jefferson Parish Housing Program joins HUD in recognizing October as Energy Awareness Month and the theme for this year is “Commit to Conserve.”
Currently, utility costs make up approximately 24 percent of the operating expenditures for Public Housing Authorities alone. With the current state of fuel prices, projected winter heating costs accompanied by our Nation’s economic conditions, each of us, Public and Indian Housing Authorities, residents, and all Americans should commit to do our part. United as a HUD family, we can make a difference.
The Commit to Conserve Campaign allows us to do just that. Conservation efforts start with the individual. The following is a partial list of simple, everyday conservation measures we can all easily commit to:
- Turn off the lights when leaving the room
- Use microwave ovens to cook small meals
- Take shorter showers
- Maintain and repair leaking air conditioning and refrigeration systems
- Change light bulbs from inefficient incandescent light bulbs to compact fluorescent lights (CFLs)
- Change furnace filter every thirty days
- Use the short wash cycle on dishwashers and clothes washers
- Use cold water when washing clothes
More conservation tips can be found at http://www.energy.gov/energysavingtips.htm and on this website in the Energy Efficiency section.
The Office of Public and Indian Housing is pleased to join the National Telecommunications & Information Administration (NTIA) in a consumer outreach initiative to educate the public about the upcoming digital broadcast television transition.
After February 17, 2009, all full-power television stations will broadcast only in digital. If a household use “rabbit ears” or a rooftop antenna with their analog television, they must take action to continue receiving television broadcasts. The Federal Government is offering U.S. households up to two $40 coupons to help purchase converter boxes. A converter box will allow an analog TV to continue to receive television broadcast after February 17, 2009. The following website, http://www.ntia.doc.gov/ provides information about how residents can apply for the program.
