Cassidy, Padilla Reintroduce Bill to Improve Temporary Housing for Disaster, Wildfire Victims While They Rebuild Their Lives

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) and Alex Padilla (D-CA) reintroduced the Disaster Housing Reform for American Families Act to improve temporary housing available to disaster victims after a storm and wildfire. The bill instructs the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to construct disaster-resilient housing within 90 days that can be used to transition into affordable housing under a local public housing authority or affordable housing program to ensure long-term use of the structure.

"Leaving disaster victims without a roof over their heads is not an option. We must change the way we respond to storms and wildfires," said Dr. Cassidy. "This is a better way to provide more resilient and longer-lasting housing that allows communities to recover quickly."

"Southern California wildfires have burnt thousands of homes to the ground and left impacted families without stable housing when they need it most," said Senator Padilla. "Our bipartisan legislation would help disaster survivors build back faster and stronger by expanding disaster housing options, expediting assistance, and increasing long-term affordable housing opportunities."

Under current law, FEMA provides temporary housing solutions for disaster victims through the Individuals and Households Program, which provides mobile homes for short-term housing for up to 18 months.

Under Cassidy's bill, disaster victims would still have access to mobile homes but would be given the opportunity to transition into disaster-resilient single-family housing structures of four units or less. The new housing would resemble typical affordable housing. To ensure quality and livability, the home construction standards are consistent with federal standards on permanent housing, including those for flood management and natural disaster resilience.

Once the disaster has ended and all disaster victims have returned to their permanent homes, the property would then be transitioned to a local public housing agency or private affordable housing program to create a new long-term affordable housing supply.

Background

In 2023, Cassidy introduced two bills to improve federal disaster responses. The Reforming Disaster Recovery Act takes recommendations from the U.S. HUD Office of the Inspector General and Government Accountability Office to establish a permanent and predictable funding process. The Disaster Learning and Life Saving Act creates an independent board to investigate major natural disasters nationwide. The National Disaster Safety Board would specifically study the underlying causes of disaster-related fatalities and property damage and make recommendations to all levels of government on how to make communities more resilient to the impacts of disasters.

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