LAKE MARY, Fla. – Florida households who lost the use of their homes after Hurricane Ian are moving into FEMA temporary housing units at an accelerated pace. As of April 12, 1,001 eligible applicants have occupied FEMA travel trailers, manufactured housing units or leased apartments.
More than half of the families who were given keys to housing are in Lee County, where the storm made landfall. Some families have found more permanent housing and moved out of FEMA units. Currently, 963 families are occupying 979 units, including 466 travel trailers, 227 manufactured housing units and 282 leased apartments.
In addition, FEMA is contracting with landlords in affected counties to lease apartments, make repairs and place families in the units.
FEMA also is working with commercial mobile home parks to lease sites for placement of units.
Because of a shortage of available sites for homes, FEMA is working with the state and local jurisdictions to build group sites in Lee County and Charlotte County. These sites will be operated by FEMA in early summer.
“We have units ordered, being delivered, installed, inspected and handed over to families,” said Federal Coordinating Officer Tom McCool. “We’re working with multiple options for applicants: trailers and larger units on people’s property, units in commercial parks, apartments, and soon we will have group housing sites.”
More than 76,000 households have received $723 million in FEMA Individual Assistance for rent and basic home repairs.
FEMA is sheltering 469 families in hotel rooms while they look for longer term housing. More than 4,100 families have moved out of hotel rooms after finding housing.
FEMA is also funding the state program that has housed 647 families in temporary housing trailers so far.
Types of Temporary Housing
Multifamily Lease and Repair is an agreement between FEMA and property owners to repair existing multi-family housing units to be used as temporary housing for survivors. To date, 100 units have been secured in Collier County and are in process of repair. 12 additional units have been identified in Lee County and are in the approval process.
Direct Lease is a contract with property owners to lease properties to use as temporary housing for survivors.
To date, 282 households have been leased into properties in Charlotte, Lee, Sarasota, and Volusia counties, with the bulk, 200, in Lee County.
Transportable Housing Units which are described as Recreational Vehicles (RVs) or Manufactured Housing Units (MHUs). Towable RVs and 1–3-bedroom MHUs can be placed on private property, commercial property – RV parks or in mobile home communities, or in group sites – land developed for the placement of housing units. To date, 693 units have been placed on private and commercial properties in all seven counties with the bulk (219 commercial and 474 private properties) in Lee County.
More commercial sites are being leased as they become available, and several group sites have been identified in Lee and Charlotte counties and are in various stages of the review/approval process.
For the latest information on Florida’s recovery from Hurricane Ian, visit floridadisaster.org/info and fema.gov/disaster/4673. Follow FEMA Region 4 (@femaregion4) / Twitter and at facebook.com/fema.