FEMA Delays Rent for Flood Victims in Temporary Housing

Hawkeye Electric electrician Nick Volk of Fairfax upgrade an electrical pedestal next to one of the four FEMA trailers for the flood victims at Squaw Creek Village in Marion on Wednesday, July 2, 2008. (COURTNEY SARGENT/THE GAZETTE)

Tools

By Steve Gravelle

Story Created: Nov 25, 2009 at 9:53 PM CST

Story Updated: Nov 25, 2009 at 9:53 PM CST

CEDAR RAPIDS — About three dozen Iowa families face a Jan. 1 deadline to begin paying rent on temporary housing they’ve been living in since the June 2008 floods, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) said Wednesday.

That’s an extra rent-free month. FEMA announced in October its mobile homes could remain in Iowa through next June, but tenants would be charged rent starting Dec. 1. The agency’s guidelines had called for the mobile homes to be removed by the end of this month.

Of the 73 units remaining in Iowa, 37 households plan to move out before Jan. 1, FEMA spokesman Bob Josephson said. The agency housed 592 Iowa families in the mobile homes in the weeks after the flood.

Rent for the remaining units will be based on local market rates set by the Department of Housing and Urban Development, with reductions based on family size and income. Cedar Rapids’ local market rate is $920 monthly for a three-bedroom unit, $649 for two bedrooms, and $492 for a single bedroom.

Monthly rents can’t exceed 30 percent of a family’s adjusted income. FEMA representative meet monthly with tenants to help them plan the transition to permanent housing.

Nearly all the FEMA tenants in Linn County also have case advocates at the Community Recovery Center in northwest Cedar Rapids. Steve Schmitz, the center’s director, said the advocates are frustrated by a lack of detailed information from FEMA on each family’s rental rate.
“There’s concern about whether or not the FEMA residents are going to be charged the full amount,” he said. “It almost sounds like they won’t know until they get their rent bill” for December.

Next Article Flood Mitigation Proposal Could Impact Upcoming Tax Vote

Conversation Guidelines

Be Kind

Don't use abusive, offensive, threatening, racist, vulgar or sexually-oriented language.
Don't attack someone personally. Keep it civil and be responsible.

Share Knowledge

Be truthful. Share what you know and what you are passionate about.
What more do you want to learn? Keep it simple.

Stay focused

Promote lively and healthy debate. Stay on topic. Ask questions and give feedback on the story's topic.

Report Trouble

Help us maintain a quality comment section by reporting comments that are offensive. If you see a comment that is offensive, or you feel violates our guidelines, simply click on the "x" to the far right of the comment to report it.

read the full guidelines here »

Commenting will be disabled on stories dealing with the following subject matter: Violent crime, sexual abuse, Amber Alerts, Operation Quickfinds and suicides.