Hundreds of millions in Katrina funds remain unspent

[cal04]

Five years after hurricane, La. program declared discriminatory
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38788131/ns/us_news-life/

Five years after Hurricane Katrina destroyed more than 200,000 Louisiana homes, the state program established to help families rebuild still hasn’t paid out more than three-quarters of a billion dollars and has come under fire from a federal judge for discriminating against black homeowners.

The Road Home program, which state officials developed in July 2006 to funnel grants of up to $150,000 to Louisianans whose homes were destroyed or damaged by huricanes Katrina and Rita in August and September 2005, has disbursed about $8.6 billion to about 127,000 families.

But officials of the Louisiana Office of Community Development acknowledged this week that more than $777 million remained in the fund as the fifth anniversaries of the devastating storms approach. That money should be going in direct payouts to about 3,000 eligible families and to help cover other recovery costs.

(snip)
“We’re sitting on almost $800 million in homeowner money that’s not been expended. Is that right?” state Rep. Neil Abramson, a Democrat from New Orleans, disbelievingly asked at a meeting Tuesday night of the Legislature’s Hurricane Recovery Committee, which was packed with angry residents.

[dixiegrrrrl]

1. Why do I have feeling that money is long gone?

[femrap]

4. And in the pockets of those

who already have too much fucking money.

[EFerrari]

2. K&R

[Unruly]

3. Billions in stimulus funds remain unspent.