Restore Louisiana program extends application deadline

SWLA (KPLC) - The Restore Louisiana Homeowner Assistance Program has extended its application deadline to Tuesday, Oct. 31.

The new deadline applies to about 6,500 homeowners who have completed the initial survey but have not yet submitted applications.

Restore Louisiana, which provides federal grant assistance to homeowners affected by 2020-2021 disasters, said in a press release today that due to federal recovery timelines, homeowners who do not submit applications by the Oct. 31 deadline, and do not have a damage assessment completed by the end of 2023, may experience delays in reimbursement processing.

“It still is unbelievable,” Hamilton Guillory said.

Guillory was one of nearly 5,000 eligible homeowners who received federal funding through the program. He was able to finally move into his brand new home just two weeks ago after he lost everything in Hurricane Laura.

“Our goal is to administer as much recovery assistance as possible to Louisiana homeowners, so we encourage them to act now,” said Pat Forbes, executive director of the Louisiana Office of Community Development.

Forbes was joined by Mayor Nic Hunter and others to tour a home he said is an example of a program-managed “Solution 1″ reconstruction, meaning it’s built to a different standard than what the state’s building codes require.

“The door and windows are rated for 150 mile-an-hour wind,” Forbes said. “The roofs have double moisture protection. They have more nails in the shingles. The whole structure is tied together by steel to make sure the structure remains intact in a storm.”

Guillory said he hopes others will look into this opportunity.

“The program really works,” Guillory said.

Homeowners can submit their application in three ways:

• Online: Log into their account at restore.la.gov.
• Phone: Call the program call center at 866.735.2001 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.
• In-person: Visit one of the program’s mobile support locations throughout the state, where representatives will be available to assist homeowners with filling out the application and submitting necessary documentation. For a list of upcoming dates and times, visit restore.la.gov/events.

Since the program’s launch in February 2022, more than 39,100 homeowners completed the survey, the first step in qualifying for assistance, and more than 23,700 have been invited to submit an application. As of Oct. 9, the program has offered more than $380 million in funding to 4,846 eligible homeowners.

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