Homeowner Grant Program

Mississippi has delivered more than 10,000 grants under an unprecedented program to help homeowners along the Coast recover and rebuild from the devastation of Hurricane Katrina.

"This is a milestone," Governor Barbour said. "It means that approximately 75 percent of south Mississippi families who qualified under Phase I of our Homeowner Assistance Grant Program have received their checks, and this will help them get on with their lives." As of February 7, 10,303 Mississippi families have received grants. In Louisiana, a similar federally-funded grant program has distributed fewer than 400 checks.

"With unprecedented resources and flexibility from the federal government, the hard work of the people associated with state and local government, and most importantly, because of the spirit and determination of the people on the Coast and in the private sector, we are making progress. There is still much to be done, and the pace is still too slow to suit me, but we are making progress," Governor Barbour said.

Under the grant program, a first-of-its-kind endeavor, recipients have legally agreed that any rebuilt structure on that property must have flood insurance, be elevated out of danger, and built to the International Residential Building Code.

In total, closing packets have been sent to 13,538 households, and program administrators expect that about 14,000 homeowners will ultimately qualify for assistance under Phase I of the program.

Phase II of the comprehensive program, which is targeted to low and moderate income homeowners regardless of insurance or flood zone status, was approved by HUD shortly before Christmas. Grant notification packets to eligible applicants will be distributed in the first quarter of this year and the financial counseling and closing process will begin at that point.

To view the online article, please click here.