Rent Woes: Those living in FEMA trailers hope Louisiana will ask for reduced rent prices

Tammy Bell is disabled and lives in a FEMA trailer on a budget of $924 a month. On June 1, FEMA will begin charging her $1,266 rent.

Bell is 63 and lives in a three-bedroom FEMA trailer in Galiano. After Hurricane Ida left her home in Golden Meadow destroyed, she was given a camper on December 4, 2021 through the state-run Ida Shelter program. She applied for the trailer and on Aug. 19, 2021, got a three-bedroom FEMA trailer so that her son, Robert Oaks Jr., and grandson, Robert Oaks III, could stay with her since they too were without a home.

Since that time, her son moved in with his girlfriend, and her grandson is moving back to Lafayette so that she can hopefully appeal the price by asking for a single bedroom trailer. Her caseworkers have changed numerous times throughout the process, and she's waiting to hear from her new caseworker to appeal this pricing because she said there is no way she can afford it.

"I mean they can have their trailer, I knew it wasn't mine from the start," she said. "It's just those 18 months went by too damn quick."

As Bell spoke, she watched murder mystery shows on her tv, while eating a lemon pie. The paperwork for the appeals was in neat stacks, right next to the television and she freely shared the information. According to her paperwork she has until June 30 to appeal.

Eighteen months after a disaster is declared, those living in FEMA trailers are charged rent. For survivors of Hurricane Ida, March 1 marked the beginning of the rent program. The Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness appealed the rent on their behalf and FEMA reduced monthly payments to $50 per month.

On June 1, this appeal will expire and payments will be based on Housing and Urban Development's Fair Market Rent Prices. Those living in single-bedroom trailers will have to pay $780 per month, rent for a 2-bedroom trailer is $981, and a 3-bedroom is $1,428.

These changes only affect people living in FEMA trailers. This does not affect those living in campers provided by the State-run Ida Shelter program. The Ida Shelter program will end May 31.

The state could request an extension for the $50 per-month rent once again, as they did during the floods of August 2016, and once submitted, FEMA then would decide whether to approve or deny this request. According to a spokesperson with the Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, talks are ongoing between the state and FEMA in terms of requesting an extension.

Terrebonne Parish Government said they are intending to request the waiver be extended through the rest of the temporary housing program, Aug. 31, and then revisit potentially extending both again as the deadlines approach, according to Planning and Zoning Director Christopher Pulaski.

Parish President Archie Chaisson said he intends to request the waiver be extended as well.

Bell was hopeful that the reduced rent waiver would be extended because the $50 rent she currently pays helps her to search for a new apartment, which she said she's been looking for. Prices for apartments have increased since the storm, making affordable ones few and far between, she said.

Bell's neighbor, Sylvia Williams, 64, is also disabled. After Hurricane Ida, her home in St. Charles Parish was destroyed. She applied for a FEMA trailer and was given one in Galiano. She said the drive is difficult to go see her family, but she's thankful just to have a place to live. She did not want to share how much she lived off each month but said FEMA determined her three-bedroom trailer would cost her $792 each month.

She said this would force her to tighten her purse strings, but she could manage the price. She said she was also hopeful for the $50 per-month rent to be extended because it would free up finances to find a place back in St. Charles Parish. She said she likes the community in Lafourche, but she misses home.

"I love it here, I really do," she said. "It's just that it's a far distance for me to travel because my relatives are a ways off, my church is a ways off, and my doctors are a ways off."

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Because of the step-stone nature of the extension waiver process, FEMA is encouraging people to appeal the rent prices on their own. According to a spokesperson with FEMA Region 6, everyone who has applied for a rent reduction and provided all the documentation has received reduced rent rates.

"We encourage all Hurricane Ida Temporary Housing Unit occupants to work with FEMA to determine eligibility for a reduced rent by submitting household expenses and income documentation," the spokesperson said via email. "To date, households that have submitted all their paperwork have been approved for a reduced rent."

This article originally appeared on The Courier: FEMA trailer occupants hopeful Louisiana will ask for lower rent