DES MOINES, IOWA (November 8, 2024) — The Iowa Finance Authority has announced the deadline for eligible home-owners to apply for up to $50,000 for the repair or rehabilitation of their disaster-impacted home through the Disaster Recovery Housing Assistance Program (DRHAP) is November 20, 2024.
Governor Kim Reynolds has allocated $15 million to the program, which has already issued nearly 300 conditional approvals, enabling home-owners to start rebuilding or receive reimbursement for eligible expenses incurred. As the program approaches the total allocated funds, home-owners are encouraged to apply by the deadline to be considered for assistance. Applications will be reviewed and approved on a first-submitted, first-ready-to-proceed basis. Application submission is not a guarantee that assistance will be awarded.
The program addresses unmet housing-recovery needs outside the scope of insurance coverage or FEMA Individual Assistance. Applications are being reviewed as they are received and, if deemed preliminarily eligible, are referred to a local administrative partner who will be the home-owner’s point of contact for inspections, feasibility for repair determination, scope of work, and payment of eligible expenses.
Eligible homes must be located in a county approved for FEMA Individual Assistance following the three presidentially-declared natural disasters this spring and summer. These counties currently include Adair, Adams, Buena Vista, Cedar, Cherokee, Clarke, Clay, Dickinson, Emmet, Harrison, Humboldt, Jasper, Lyon, Mills, Monona, Montgomery, O’Brien, Osceola, Palo Alto, Plymouth, Polk, Pottawattamie, Ringgold, Shelby, Sioux, Story, Union, and Woodbury.
Before applying for the state Disaster Recovery Housing Assistance Program, home-owners must have first registered for FEMA Individual Assistance and have been awarded some form of FEMA Housing Assistance, which may include home repairs or temporary housing. Home-owners must also have filed a claim with their insurance company, if they have coverage for disaster-related damages, and have received final approval or denial of their claim. Repair work must be completed by contractors who are registered to work in the state of Iowa to be eligible for payment under the program. Homes located in the Special Flood Hazard Area (100-year floodplain) and rental properties are ineligible.
More information about the DRHAP program, including an eligibility precheck is available at iowafinance.com/DRHAP. The full DRHAP application is available in IowaGrants.gov. For information on other disaster-related programs and resources, visit DisasterRecovery.iowa.gov.
