Last year’s wildfire victims have expanded housing assistance, following FEMA’s approval of Lane County’s request for a direct housing mission.
The approval means qualified county residents can access a range of temporary housing options for up to 18 months past the disaster declaration date, or March 15, 2022. This includes mobile units, direct lease, and multi-family lease and repair.
Lane County Commissioner Heather Buch said this is especially vital for getting people to return to the McKenzie River Corridor, which saw significant devastation from the Holiday Farm Fire last September.
“They want to stay there, they want to be back in there," said Buch. "They don’t necessarily want to be relocated permanently into the Eugene-Springfield metro center. And we want people to be able to rebuild in the community from which they’re from.”
FEMA had denied the request in November, but Representative Peter DeFazio led an appeal, joined by Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden.
Note: If you're an Oregon resident contending with wildfire recovery and rebuilding issues - or work with such invididuals - visit KLCC's contact page to share your situation with our newsdepartment.
Copyright 2021, KLCC.