Road Home Elevation Grants
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Increased Cost Compliance (ICC) is not deducted from the homeowner compensation grant earmarked for repair/rebuild costs. However, to the extent you have already received up to $30,000 in ICC monies, you would only be entitled to receive up to an additional $30,000 earmarked for elevation expenses offered by the Road Home program but only to the extent your ACTUAL cost to elevate your home exceeded $30,000. Therefore, for example, if your elevation costs are $45,000 and you have already received the maximum $30,000 from ICC, you would be entitled to $15,000 from the Road Home for elevation.
A homeowner must take ICC funds (if they are eligible for them and haven't used their allocation for other purposes) first for elevations before taking their possible 30k from the RH for elevations. The important news is that A) it doesn't take away from your compensation grant as an insurance deduction and B) means that you have access to a possible 60k in elevation assistance.
http://mail.thinknola.com/pipermail/roadhome/2007-April/000172.html
[edit] Elevation Allowance
The elevation allowance is determined by
- estimated elevation cost and
- other elevation assistance.
[edit] Homeowners Required to Elevate
If homeowner meets all of the following 4 conditions, they are required by The Road Home to elevate:
- Local municipality assessed the damage to the home to be greater than or equal to 51%. If there is no local municipality percentage damage, the homeowner is not required to elevate.
- Property located in 100 year flood plain
- Property located in area subject to the Advisory Base Flood Elevation Map (ABFE)
- Home has not yet been elevated to meet the ABFEs
[edit] Homeowners Exempt Elevation Requirements
Homeowner is exempt if they pulled building permits prior to launch of The Road Home Program (August 29, 2006) or prior to local municipality’s adoption of ABFE, whichever came first.
Local municipality’s adoption of ABFE
| Calcasieu | May 4, 2006 |
| Cameron | April 9, 2006 |
| Iberia | June 14, 2006 |
| Jefferson | July 19, 2006 |
| Kenner | September 3, 2006 |
| Terrebonne | June 28, 2006 |
| Vermilion | May 15, 2006 |
| St. Tammany | August 7, 2006 |
Homeowner must provide copies of the building permits as evidence that they pulled building permits in time.
[edit] Homeowners Eligible for Elevation Allowance (but not required to elevate)
Homeowners who are eligible to receive assistance, but not required to elevate include:
- Homeowners who are located in areas with ABFE but did not sustain at least 51% damage according to their local municipality based on information collected by The Road Home
- Homeowners who are choosing Option 2 and relocating to a home that requires elevation to meet ABFE
[edit] Elevation Allowance Calculation
Homeowners required to elevate or eligible to and choosing the option to elevate
- The homeowner’s Elevation Allowance is the lesser of their uncompensated elevation costs, elevation cap ($30,000) or their available Road Home available balance.
- Uncompensated elevation costs = Estimated elevation costs (minus) Other compensation for elevation
- Road Home available balance = $150,000 (minus) Compensation grant
- Elevation cap = $30,000. No homeowner can receive more than $30,000 in Elevation Allowance.
[edit] Individual Mitigation Measures (IMM) Program
[edit] Eligibility Requirements
- Post repair mitigation assistance is capped at $7,500.
- Total combined assistance from the IMM program and the Homeowner Assistance program cannot exceed $150,000.
- Homeowner must be eligible for the Homeowner Assistance program.
- Homeowners who choose to stay in their home, regardless of whether or not they qualified for a grant from the Homeowner Assistance program, are eligible for the IMM program.
- Homeowners who choose to relocate to a home that is located in a presidentially declared parish, regardless of whether or not they qualified for a grant from the Homeowner Assistance program, are eligible for the IMM program.
[edit] Program Requirements
If a homeowner chooses to accept the Additional Mitigation Grant, the homeowner is required to use the funding assistance for non-elevation mitigation measures.
[edit] Additional Inputs Necessary for Additional Mitigation Grant
- Cost estimate of non-elevation mitigation measures homeowner is planning to complete
- Definition: There are a number of non-elevation mitigation measures homeowners can choose to complete at their home.
- Verification: Homeowners choose from a list of non-elevation mitigation measures at the HAC. Each measure will include a cost estimate to determine the total assistance the homeowner is looking to receive. Additional Mitigation Grant Calculation
- Homeowners choosing to perform non-elevation mitigation measures and did not receive Elevation Allowance
- The homeowner’s Additional Mitigation Grant is the lesser of the following:
- Additional mitigation grant allowance = $7,500. The Additional Mitigation Grant is capped at $7,500.
- Cost estimate of non-elevation mitigation measures homeowner is planning to complete
- Road Home available balance = $150,000 (minus) Compensation grant (minus) Affordable compensation loan
- Homeowners choosing to perform non-elevation mitigation measures and did receive Elevation Allowance
- The homeowner’s Additional Mitigation Grant is the lesser of the following:
- Additional mitigation grant allowance = $7,500. The Additional Mitigation Grant is capped at $7,500.
- Cost estimate of non-elevation mitigation measures homeowner is planning to complete
- Road Home available balance = $150,000 (minus) Compensation grant (minus) Elevation allowance (minus) Affordable compensation loan
[edit] Protocols for Estimating Replacement Housing Costs
[edit] Single-Family Home Replacement
In cases where homes were totally destroyed by hurricanes Katrina or Rita, the homeowner will be eligible to receive $130/square foot3 to replace their home. In the context of The Road Home program totally destroyed homes are given a Type 1 Evaluation. The replacement allowance is based on the “compensation area†of the home, which is generally comparable to living area. Several line drawings that illustrate typical housing configurations and how replacement area is calculated are provided in Appendix B.
The unit rate is based on replacing a total loss home with a reasonable standard of living; it is not intended to compensate a homeowner to replace a custom or semicustom home. For the purposes of the program compensation area is defined as interior, conditioned spaces, and for single-story homes is considered to be equal to the footprint of the house, which is the primary dimension measured during Type 1 home evaluations. Exterior spaces such as porches and garages are not considered in the square feet (SF) calculation of compensation area unless they share a common wall and roof with the main structure. The determination of compensation area in destroyed, multi-storied homes is based on multiplying the footprint by the number of stories, minus any non-livable space on the second or third, etc. stories.
3 Unit price includes demolition costs, but not elevation costs. It should be noted that some homeowners may have received a FEMA grant for demolition. In this case, the built-in demolition allowance should be backed out of the square footage allowance. Many demo properties will be cleared by FEMA even after intake period. Many may receive demo services after Road Home Grant awarded.
[edit] Single-Family Home Repair Allowances
An interior and exterior component by component damage assessment is performed for Type 2 evaluations, i.e., work in progress, partially damaged, and completed repairs. The following section includes a discussion of units of measurement and allowances and caps, where appropriate. Several line drawings that illustrate typical housing configurations and how repair area is calculated are provided in Appendix B.
[edit] Units of Measurements
The home elevation repair and replacement standard for single-family homes is indicated below. Issues may arise for duplexes having two owners. If, for example, one owner participates in the grant program and the other owner doesn’t, the home elevation process becomes complicated. Duplexes typically share a common foundation and it is not possible to raise only one side of the common foundation.
The home elevation repair and replacement policy does not address extenuating circumstances; it is assumed that they will be addressed programmatically. Estimating the cost to replace a house with a slab; only includes that portion of the house that is a living area. For example, for those homes with garages attached to the main living area via a breezeway--the slab area is not included in the cost estimate.
STANDARD:
Homes shall be elevated to a minimum of one foot above the advisory base flood elevation or to the local freeboard requirement with a maximum allowance of $30,000 per structure.
Homes may be raised to create an eight foot high parking and storage under home with a maximum allowance of $30,000.
For The Road Home, the following categories and elevation-based allowances were established for two common types of new and existing home foundations.
| Foundation Type Elevation | Increase (feet) | Unit Rate ($/sq. foot) |
| New Frame | 0 to 8 | $15.00 |
| Existing Slab | 0 to 4 | $52.27 |
| 4.1 to 8 | $84.94 | |
| Existing Frame | 0 to 4 | $26.14 |
| 4.1 to 8 | $39.20 |
- The elevation allowance is based on a new frame if The Road Home determines that the home sustained equal to or more than 51% damage.
This would be only $15,000 to raise a 1000 sq ft house, $21,000 to raise a 1400 sq ft house, or $27,000 for a 1800 sq ft house
EM from a CHAT member: Here’s a serious question: since RHP funds are federal, the 51% sustainable damage law must be adhered to. On many option letters the pre-storm and estimated cost of repairs clearly document that 51% issue. However the RHP awards letter sometimes/not sometimes states the client may be required to elevate. There is no box that states you are required to elevate. But the question is: Where will all this information go to? State? Local Parish government? Will the state/or local governments be provided with this 51% information? I believe FEMA provides parish governments with there destroyed & major damaged applicants.
