Wednesday May 23rd 2012

‘Rebuild Iowa’ Archives

‘Iowans Helping Iowans’ Program Offered State’s Flood Victims

A new “Iowans Helping Iowans” flood assistance program was rolled out today. The program is meant to help families and businesses get back on their feet after this summer’s floods. Up to $7.5 million will be provided for homeowner assistance, up to $7.5 million for business assistance, and up to $5 million for unmet needs totaling up to $20 million.

Anyone affected by the natural disasters in a county that has been Presidentially Declared for Individual Assistance is eligible for the “Iowans Helping Iowans” program. This includes the following 32 counties: Black Hawk, Cherokee, Clayton, Decatur, Delaware, Dubuque, Fayette, Franklin, Hamilton, Howard, Humboldt, Ida, Jackson, Jasper, Jones, Kossuth, Lee, Lucas, Lyon, Mahaska, Marion, O’Brien, Osceola, Polk, Ringgold, Sioux, Story, Taylor, Union, Warren, Webster, and Wright.

Homeowners must first register with FEMA and be awarded some form of FEMA housing assistance to be eligible for “Iowans Helping Iowans”. Businesses must first be approved for a disaster-related loan by eligible lender, including conventional lenders, to be eligible for “Iowans Helping Iowans”. For more information visit www.IowansHelpingIowans.com.

In addition, the local Farm Service Agency is offering assistance to those agricultural producers who sustained losses from recent flooding. Visit www.fsa.usda.gov/FSA and select the State Offices link at the top of the page for more information.

Free Mental Health Counseling for Disaster Survivors Extended

Counseling Services for disaster survivors who are uninsured, those who have insurance but lack mental health coverage or those who have exhausted their mental health benefits have been extended through September. Ticket to Hope, a program offering free mental health counseling for survivors of the 2008 floods, tornadoes and storms can receive up to eight free counseling sessions. The program is a cooperative effort of the DHS and a network of Iowa-licensed mental health providers around the state.

Disaster survivors can call the Ticket to Hope hotline, 1-800-447-1985. Staff at the hotline will verify the callers’ eligibility and provide them with a list of participating mental health counselors, along with up to eight vouchers that disaster survivors can present to the counselors to obtain free services.

For more information, visit www.tickettohope.org.

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