THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE STILL LIVING IN FEMA TRAILERS FROM HURRICANE IDA COULD SOON BE WITHOUT A HOME IF. THEY CHOOSE NOT TO PAY RENT STARTING. MARCH. WDSU, INVESTIGATIVE CASSIE SHERMAN IS LIVE IN STUDIO. CASSIE. HOW WILL THIS AFFECT THE FOOD CHAIN? TERRIBLE COMMUNITIES STILL PICKING UP THE PIECES FROM HURRICANE IVAN. WELL, GINA, MORE THAN 3000 PEOPLE ARE LIVING IN THESE FEMA. THAT’S ONLY MEANT TO BE USED FOR 18 MONTHS. THE STATE JUST REQUESTED AN EXTENSION TO KEEP THE TRAILERS LONGER. AND FEMA ACCEPTED. BUT WITH THAT EXTENSION COMES RENT. AND SOME FAMILIES TELL ME THIS IS JUST ANOTHER BLOW. SO MY LIFE I’VE BEEN LIVING HERE. LIVING IN HOME. 60 YEAR OLD PHYLLIS LAVELLE IS NO STRANGER TO HURRICANES. MY MOTTO WAS, EVERY TIME THE BAD WEATHER WAS COMING, I ALWAYS ALL MY HOUSE AND PRAYED TO GOD I COULD COME HOME AND GO TO BED. AND IT ALWAYS WORKED. THEN CAME HURRICANE IDA TAKING EVERYTHING WITH IT. THIS HURRICANE YOU JUST LIKE KNEW YOU WASN’T GOING SURVIVE IT. SO. AND LOST EVERYTHING. IT WAS LONGER THAN THAT. IT’S NOT. YEAH, BUT IT WAS BAD AROUND HERE. AND NOW THEY DON’T HAVE ANYTHING DOWN THERE LEAVING THIS. RECENT RETIREE. HER DAUGHTER. TWO GRANDKIDS WITHOUT A HOME THAT TO AND HAVING TO START OVER. PERRY’S THOUGHT WHERE DO YOU EVEN START? WHETHER OR NOT THEY’VE BEEN LIVING IN THIS FEMA TEMPORARY TRAILER HOME FOR THE PAST NINE MONTHS. THESE ARE DESIGNED TO GET THEM THROUGH THE EVENT, BUT ALWAYS WERE AIMING AT THEM, GETTING BACK INTO A PERMANENT HOUSING SOLUTION POST-DISASTER. BUT ONCE MARCH 1ST COMES PICKERING WITH SAYS THEY WILL REQUIRE RENT OR TAKE BACK THE TRAILER. I KNOW THAT DOESN’T SOUND VERY WONDERFUL, BUT YOU KNOW THE SYSTEM IS IN PLACE AND WE’RE TRYING TO TREAT EVERYBODY EQUALLY. THE 18 MONTH PERIOD IS SET BY FEDERAL LAW. TWO BATHROOMS AND A BEDROOM. THE RENT IS BASED ON THE DEPARTMENT, FEDERAL HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT CALCULATION AND FOR A COMMUNITY’S FAIR MARKET RATES INTERURBAN AND THE FOOD. THAT MONTHLY RATE WOULD BE $700 FOR A SINGLE BEDROOM. 890 FOR A TWO BEDROOM. AND OVER 1000 FOR A THREE BEDROOM. BUT RESIDENTS DO AT LEAST ONE OPTION. OCCUPANCY APPEAL FOR LOWER RENTS BASED ON THEIR CIRCUMSTANCE SAYS PHYLLIS AS THIS IS LEAVING HER A HARD DECISION FOR HER FAMILY. SO YOU CAN EITHER GET SAY KEEP THE TRAILER OR YOU CAN EAT, YOU KNOW, LIVE. I DON’T KNOW. SHE’S TRIED LOOKING FOR AFFORDABLE ELSEWHERE WHILE LIVING ON A FIXED BUT HASN’T HAD MUCH LUCK. THE RENT AND EVERYTHING IS SOLELY EXPENSIVE AND I DON’T KNOW THE INSURANCE FOR PEOPLE WHO LIVE DOWN HERE. IT’S RIDICULOUS. AFTER HURRICANE. HIT, 3812 HOUSEHOLDS HAVE LIVED IN FEMA UNITS IN THE SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA, 557 HAVE SINCE MOVED OUT, LEAVING MORE THAN 3000 STILL USING THEM TODAY, IT’S LOGISTICALLY DIFFICULT TO MOVE THESE UNITS AROUND AND GET THEM, YOU KNOW, IN QUICKLY. THEY TAKE A WHILE. THEY’RE REALLY NOT THE BEST OPTION IN. THAT MEANS THAT WHEN THEY’RE BEING USED, IT’S EVERYTHING ELSE HAS BEEN EXHAUSTED. DOCUMENTS SHOW FEMA PAYS AROUND $43000 TO $91000 FOR EACH TRAILER COUNTY ON THE SIZE AND TYPE WHERE THE TRAILERS GO. I ALWAYS WONDER THIS THE RECYCLE JUST THE WAY MY IS RECYCLED EVERY COUPLE OF YEARS SO KIND OF GO BACK INTO THE READY BAY WE GO ON HOUSING STOCK SO THEY GO BACK INTO HOUSING STOCK. WE’LL BE REASSIGNED WHEN WHEN THEY GET BEYOND THEIR USEFUL LIFE, THEN THEY’RE EITHER SOLD OFF OR OR YOU KNOW WHAT TO SAY, JOHN. BUT, YOU KNOW, WE’VE GOTTEN RID OF IN SOME CASES, FEMA IS AUCTIONED OFF THE TRAILERS. AFTER HURRICANE HARVEY HIT TEXAS, SOME OF THESE TYPES OF TRAILERS WERE AUCTIONED OFF FOR CLOSE TO $100 EACH. BUT AT THIS TIME, THEY’RE NOT SELLING THE TRAILERS HERE IN LOUISIANA. WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO? I GUESS I DON’T KNOW. I’M I DON’T KNOW. YOU JUST DON’T EVEN KNOW WHAT TO DO NOW. THE SIX MONTH EXTENSION FOR THE FEMA ENDS AUGUST 29TH. THE NEXT YEAR, AND THEN ALL THE TRAILERS WILL BE PICKED UP BY FEMA. BUT PICKERING TELLS ME THE END GOAL IS TO GET THOSE FAMILIES INTO PERMANENT HOMES. SO. ALL RIGHT, CASEY, THANK YOU SO MUCH. AND THE WHOLE MATTER AND HOUSING AUTHORITY STILL SHUT DOWN FROM THE STORM ADDING ANOTHER CHALLENGE FOR RESIDENTS. SO IF YOU ARE NEEDING HELP WITH THE NEAREST ONE IS IN LAFOURCHE PARISH. FOR MORE INFORMATION ON HOUSING ASSISTANCE. YOU CAN GO TO OUR WEB SIT