Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
City staff, nonprofits and state press FEMA for shelter extensions as hundreds risk losing vouchers
Summary
City staff and nonprofit partners pressed for and won short-term FEMA extensions for some Transitional Sheltering Assistance households; officials and advocates warned many households remain at risk when eligibility reviews continue and urged residents to contact FEMA or visit the Disaster Recovery Center.
City staff, nonprofit partners and councilors described on Jan. 14 an ongoing effort to prevent immediate homelessness among people using FEMA Transitional Sheltering Assistance (TSA) hotel vouchers after the storm.
Emily Ball, the city's homeless strategy division manager, updated council on TSA. She said FEMA's initial TSA authorization runs through March 27, 2025, and that FEMA conducts eligibility reviews every two weeks. After an initial review beginning Jan. 3, FEMA identified cohorts of households who would be ineligible on Jan. 11 because they had missed inspections, had not made contact, or FEMA had assessed their homes as safe to occupy. The city and state requested extensions for specific cohorts; Ball said the state asked FEMA to extend TSA and that FEMA provided short extensions in response to weather and outreach needs.
Ball said Buncombe County-level data showed 318 households who were…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
