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Letter requesting information on Discrimination in FEMA's Disaster Relief

I am writing to request your help in providing us with information regarding individuals with mental or physical disabilities and the elderly who are Katrina/Rita disaster victims and who, due to disabilities, are
having difficulties in accessing or continuing with FEMA’s housing assistance program. We are investigating the potential discriminatory effects of FEMA’s program upon persons with disabilities and whether its
failure to provide reasonable accommodations violates their disability rights. The discriminatory barriers may include (a) the delays and difficulties in reaching FEMA on-line, by phone or in person; (b) the
inaccessibility of housing, including trailers; (c) difficulties in understanding the housing assistance requirements; (d) the burdensome SBA loan application requirement; (d) the burdensome requirements for continuing eligibility such as periodic re-certification, documentation, and development of a permanent housing program We are also looking into the trauma suffered by the very elderly from multiple displacements and whether they may have been improperly institutionalized. We would appreciate any
information you have, including contacts, regarding the following:

  • Persons with mental or physical disabilities who are not receiving housing assistance because FEMA is not providing reasonable accommodating for their disabilities;
  • Persons with disabilities who are having difficulties navigating the application process, including difficulties in applying on-line, by phone or in person, understanding eligibility requirements, filling out forms, or providing required documentation;
  • Persons with physical disabilities who cannot obtain accessible housing or trailers;
  • Persons with mental disabilities who received FEMA’s $2,358 grant for 3 months of housing assistance but who, due to their disabilities, may have difficulty in meeting FEMA’s requirements for continuing eligibility for up to 18 months of assistance by (a) developing a permanent housing plan, (b) documenting how they spent their grant, or (c) periodically requesting continued housing assistance and responding to inquiries;
  • Very elderly persons who may have suffered trauma, depression or anxiety due to their sudden evacuation or multiple displacements and who may be in need of counseling or relocation assistance or accommodations in obtaining housing assistance;
  • Persons with mental disabilities or very elderly persons who were required to fill out the SBA loan application forms in order to receive housing assistance;
  • Persons with disabilities who, before the disaster, were sharing housing with other persons, including attendants or relatives who were assisting them, but whose shared household was split apart by the disaster, and who could not qualify for housing assistance because another member of their shared household obtained assistance first;
  • Elderly persons or persons with disabilities who were evacuated and placed
    into a skilled nursing or other facility which may not be appropriate for
    their long term care or who do not wish to live in institutional care; and
  • Persons with serious mental disabilities or very elderly persons who were placed in shelters or hotel or motel rooms without further attention to their special needs.

If you have information regarding these matters, please contact Steve Ronfeldt at sronfeldt@pilpca.org or, if you have questions, please call him at (510) 891-9794 ext. 127.

 

Posted: November 9, 2005.