The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) did not fullyimplement the State-Administered Direct Housing Grant Programrequired by Section 1211(a) of the Disaster Recovery Reform Act of2018 (DRRA). Specifically, as of March 2024, FEMA had not issuedfinal regulations to fully implement the program. This occurredbecause FEMA . Additionally,FEMA did not implement an effective pilot program. The DRRA hadauthorized FEMA to carry out a pilot program for up to 2 years untilfinal regulations were issued. However, during the pilot period,FEMA only issued one narrowly focused grant award that did notauthorize the recipient state to administer direct housingassistance on FEMA’s behalf. This occurred because FEMA did notissue timely guidance for the pilot program, leaving only 10 weeksto implement the pilot program before it expired. As a result, FEMAmissed opportunities for state, territorial, and tribal (STT)governments to play a greater role in identifying and implementingdisaster housing solutions to best meet their communities’ needs.
Open Recommendations
| Recommendation Number | Significant Recommendation | Recommended Questioned Costs | Recommended Funds for Better Use | Additional Details | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | No | $0 | $0 | ||
| We recommend the FEMA Administrator, in coordination with DHS and OMB, take action to issue final regulations implementing the State-Administered Direct Housing Grant Program authorized by Section 1211(a) of the Disaster Recovery Reform Act of 2018. | |||||
| 3 | No | $0 | $0 | ||
| We recommend the FEMA Administrator provide quarterly briefings, consistent with House Report 117-87, to congressional Appropriations Committees on the status of the component’s DRRA implementation efforts, including the State-Administered Direct Housing Grant Program. | |||||
| 4 | No | $0 | $0 | ||
| We recommend the FEMA Administrator continue to evaluate challenges associated with implementing the State-Administered Direct Housing Grant Program, and then develop and implement new authorities or program changes to address those challenges. | |||||
