Thousands Apply For State’s New Flood Housing Program

(Information from: The Advocate, http://theadvocate.com)

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Thousands of southern Louisiana residents have already applied to take part in the state's new "Shelter at Home" program.

The Advocate reports that more than 5,400 people applied for the program on Monday, the first day applications were accepted.

Through Shelter at Home, homeowners can get up to $15,000 worth of basic repairs. It comes at no cost to the homeowners and allows them to remain at home as larger rebuilding projects proceed, lessening the demand for other temporary housing options.

It is unclear how many of people will qualify for the home repair effort, which was unveiled last week.

The Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness estimates that many as 160,000 homes have been affected by the August flood.

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