HUD Expands Storm Rental Aid

The Department of Housing and Urban Development has expanded a rental assistance program in order to enable hurricane Katrina and Rita evacuees to receive vouchers to live anywhere in the United States.The Disaster Voucher Program includes Rita evacuees for the first time, but it is only available to families that received HUD housing assistance prior to the hurricanes. The expanded program also comes at a time when the Federal Management Emergency Agency is ending its program of housing evacuees in hotels. The expansion is being funded by a $390 million supplemental appropriation signed recently by President Bush, HUD said.