What will happen to FEMA trailers once the federal emergency housing programs ends?

JACKSON COUNTY, Ore. — There are currently 148 single-wide trailers distributed at various sites in Jackson County as part of FEMA's emergency housing program. The trailers currently house survivors who lost homes in the Labor Day fires, but that program will end in March.

During a work session today, the Jackson County Board of Commissioners discussed the fate of those trailers.

County Administrator, Danny Jordan, explained to commissioners that through FEMA regulations, the units can either be purchased by the fire survivor that is currently occupying them, donated to a non-profit, or taken back by the federal agency to either be used in another emergency or auctioned off at a low price.

The trailers are only available for donation, however, if the fire survivors currently living in them sign paperwork indicating they would like to purchase it but ultimately decide not to. Jordan noted that only 103 survivors have signed that paperwork.

"There are 16 (survivors) that declined, so the fate of those trailers, when those people are done living in them, is taken out of our hands and our ability to get them under FEMA rules," Jordan said. He noted that the county's Emergency Management Team is asking the state to file an application with FEMA requesting that those trailers also be made available for donation. He said they are also requesting that the March deadline for the housing program be extended.

Jordan said whether bought by a fire survivor or donated, there are some stipulations in obtaining the trailers.

"Eligible occupants who ultimately want to exercise a purchase can only purchase it if they are living in it and there are no substitutes or upgrades," Jordan said. He noted that if the occupant vacates and there is no other eligible occupant, FEMA will also take that trailer back.

"People that do purchase it have to prove at the time that they are purchasing it that they can move it or have a place, for example, they can stay in the place that FEMA is currently renting through an agreement with the landowner," Jordan said. "These are tens of thousands of dollars to move and set up so they are not cheap."

He said if the occupant can meet that criteria, the unit itself would be sold to the fire survivor at an adjusted fair market value.

In order for units that qualify to be donated, a non-profit or volunteer organization would need to step up and secure a location to put them on and also figure out funding to move them.

"My personal opinion is the county shouldn't own these," Jordan said. "I haven't been told that you (commissioners) are interested in us accepting them as a donation to the county without having anywhere to put them. The state hasn't expressed an interest in and I am not aware of any current voluntary organization or non-profit that is interested in it."

Commissioners agreed that the county should not be in charge of finding a place for potentially donated units to go. Commissioner Rick Dyer suggested that the county's housing authority may be a good agency to take charge of the donation program.

"This is exactly in their wheelhouse, their mission to produce, locate, find affordable housing, and use the funding that they have for that," he said. "This is something that if we lose these units there is nothing close to being able to duplicate them affordability-wise."