Elizabeth Warren, Ed Markey slam FEMA's decision to not offer Disaster Housing Assistance Program to Puerto Rico hurricane evacuees

FILE - In this Oct. 5, 2017 file photo, Department of Homeland Security personnel deliver supplies to Santa Ana community residents in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria in Guayama, Puerto Rico. The U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is rejecting on Monday, Dec. 18, 2017 a report by Refugees International criticizing local and federal hurricane response in Puerto Rico. (AP Photo/Carlos Giusti, File)(Carlos Giusti)

U.S. Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey, D-Massachusetts, expressed frustration Wednesday over FEMA's decision to not offer Disaster Housing Assistance Program to Puerto Rican families displaced by Hurricanes Irma and Maria, offering that the federal government owes these evacuees better.

The senators, who urged the Federal Emergency Management Agency last month to work with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in offering the program to help hurricane survivors, continued to raise concerns about the number of evacuees seeking long-term housing solutions.

They further pledged to continue pressing the issue on Capitol Hill and working with families in Massachusetts who were impacted by last year's storms.

"FEMA's response is frustrating. We owe our fellow U.S. citizens displaced by the hurricanes much better," the senators said in a statement. "We're actively working on legislative solutions to address FEMA's inadequate response and to provide longer-term housing solutions to evacuees. And we are continuing to work directly to help families in Massachusetts who are affected."

Warren and Markey, whose offices have repeatedly called on FEMA to extend shelter assistance deadlines in recent months, asked the agency's administrator, William "Brock" Long, in an April 20 letter to immediately enter an agreement with HUD "to stand up the Disaster Housing Assistance Program and address the medium- and longer-term housing needs" of Puerto Rican evacuees.

The senators contended that while conditions in Puerto Rico have improved since the September storms, "there is still tremendous need on the island." They added that many evacuees lack paperwork needed to show they own their homes, or plan not to return out of fear that the island is unprepared for the upcoming hurricane season.

The Democrats argued that HUD's Disaster Housing Assistance Program, which provides subsidies to help families pay rent, put down security deposits or pay utilities, "is specifically designed to address the medium- and longer-term housing needs of survivors of natural disasters."

"Both Republican and Democratic presidential administrations have identified HUD as the appropriate agency to handle the long-term housing needs of victims of natural disasters," they wrote. "It was used in response to Hurricane Katrina, Rita and Sandy. No congressional action is required -- FEMA and HUD can and should immediately begin to work together to stand up the DHAP program."

Despite pleas from the senators and others, FEMA Federal Coordinating Officer Michael Byrne told Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rossello Nevares Tuesday that it would not implement DHAP for the island's recovery efforts.

"Instead of DHAP, both the U.S. Federal Emergency Management agency and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development have offered multiple housing solutions that are better able to meet the current housing needs of impacted survivors across Puerto Rico," he wrote in a letter.

Byrne noted that FEMA's Individuals and Households Program, which offers financial housing assistance and direct housing assistance, has obligated more than $1.2 billion in assistance, including $593 million in housing assistance for survivors. Puerto Rico, he added, will receive $19.9 billion in HUD's Community Development Block Grant for Disaster Recovery, which will help cover home construction and repairs.

Evacuees who relocated in the continental U.S., meanwhile, can utilize FEMA's Immediate Disaster Case Management program in developing their permanent housing and recovery plans, Byrne said.

"Both FEMA and HUD continue working together and with other partners to provide the most effective and efficient housing solutions that can meet current needs across Puerto Rico," he wrote.

FEMA announced earlier this month that it would extend the Transitional Sheltering Assistance program through June 30 to give evacuees using the benefit 60 days to solidify their long-term housing plans.

Federal officials, who noted that this will be the final extension of the program for those impacted by Hurricanes Irma and Maria, said FEMA will further offer families living in the continental United States under the shelter assistance benefit transportation back to Puerto Rico.

About 2,300 families remained in TSA-participating hotel rooms across more than 30 states and Puerto Rico, including 380 in Massachusetts alone as of May 3, according to FEMA.

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