HUD announced the implementation and continuation of federal disaster assistance for areas of the Commonwealth of Kentucky affected by severe storms, straight line winds, flooding and tornadoes starting December 10, 2021 .

On December 12, President Biden issued a declaration of major disaster for Caldwell, Fulton, Graves, Hopkins, Marshall, Muhlenberg, Taylor and Warren counties.

Federal funding is also available on a cost-share basis for emergency work in Caldwell, Fulton, Graves, Hopkins, Marshall, Muhlenberg, Taylor and Warren counties. Effective immediately, the HUD is:

• Provide immediate relief in case of eviction in the counties covered by the declaration of major disaster: The HUD’s automatic 90-day moratorium on foreclosures on Federal Housing Administration (FHA) insured mortgages began on the date of the presidential declaration of major disaster, and foreclosures on mortgages to Native American borrowers guaranteed under the ‘Section 184 of the Indian Home Loan Guarantee Program. For assistance, call your loan officer or the FHA Resource Center at 1-800-304-9320.
• Make mortgage insurance available: HUD’s Section 203 (h) program provides FHA insurance to disaster victims whose homes have been destroyed or damaged to such an extent that reconstruction or replacement is necessary and they are facing the daunting task to rebuild or buy another house. Borrowers from participating FHA-approved lenders are eligible for 100 percent financing, including closing costs.
• Make insurance available for mortgages and home renovations: HUD’s Section 203 (k) Loan Program allows those who have lost their home to finance the purchase or refinancing of a home as well as its repair through a single mortgage. It also allows homeowners who have damaged homes to finance the rehabilitation of their existing single-family home.
• Sharing information about housing providers and HUD programs: The ministry will share information with FEMA and the Commonwealth of housing providers who may have units available in affected counties. This includes public housing agencies and multi-family landlords. The department will also connect FEMA and the Commonwealth with subject matter experts to provide information on HUD programs and providers.
• Provide flexibility to beneficiaries of community planning and development: Beneficiaries of the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program, the Housing Opportunities for Persons With HIV / AIDS (HOPWA) program, the Continuum of Care (CoC) program, the Emergency Solutions Grants (ESG) program, the HOME program and the Trust Fund for Housing (HTF) Program funds may request the administrative flexibility needed in response to natural disasters. For more information on requesting a waiver, contact your local Community Planning and Development Program office. Contact details can be found here.
• Offer flexibility to public housing agencies: Public housing agencies can request the necessary administrative flexibility through disaster waivers. For detailed information on claiming a waiver, click here for the latest Federal Register Disaster Relief Notice guidelines. The ministry also released PIH Notice 2021-34, which allowed administrative flexibilities to waive or establish alternative requirements for many legal and regulatory requirements for various public housing programs. As a reminder, to be eligible for a disaster exemption, the PHA must be located in an active zone declared by the President for major disaster reporting (MDD) and submit a waiver within four months of a disaster.
• Ensure that HUD-approved housing counseling agencies are ready to help: HUD-approved housing counseling agencies have counselors available to assist those affected by natural disasters to determine assistance needs and available resources.