Recovery Update on 6th Anniversary of Hurricane Katrina

The Homeowners Assistance Program has awarded more than $2 billion in rebuilding grants to nearly 28,000 homeowners, more than 40 percent of whom are in low-income households.

• The Small Rental Assistance Program has resulted in more than 3,200 units constructed and is helping local “mom-and-pop” property owners repair rental properties to restore traditional neighborhoods devastated by Katrina. MDA expects more than 4,000 units will be available within another year.

• The Public Housing Program will increase the public housing stock to a total of 3,100 units from fewer than 2,000 before Katrina. These new public housing units are much stronger, more attractive and complimentary to the community and residents than previous units.

• The Long-Term Workforce Housing Program has resulted in more than 1,700 units constructed or financed. Workforce housing is putting units where people need them – near jobs, schools, transportation and other vital community needs. The program also has provided unique homebuyer financing through Renaissance Corporation, City of Gulfport and others.

These housing programs combined with other housing initiatives will result in more than 50,000 housing units in South Mississippi. Bringing jobs back to the Coast has also been a major focus of Governor Barbour’s recovery plan. Restoration of the state Port of Gulfport continued with U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s release of the remainder of the $570 million in federal Community Development Block Grants allocated to the restoration. The Port’s 60-acre West Pier fill project was successfully completed earlier this year with more than 1.9 million cubic yards of sand deposited. The Port expects to continue construction with the release of three contracts for dredging and fill projects before the end of 2011. The restoration program is important to rebuild the region’s job base and to fill the national need for more container port capacity. Restoration will help ensure the Port can service increased traffic resulting from expansion of the Panama Canal. Thousands of jobs are directly or indirectly related to State Port activity, and the Port is expected not only to boost the Coast economy but also to help create jobs statewide. In addition to the Port, the Economic Development Program is expected to create 6,412 jobs by funding public infrastructure improvements or eligible job training activities to benefit private businesses. Forty-eight economic development projects have been awarded in 25 Mississippi counties. Twenty-eight of these are complete, with nine more expected to finish by the end of 2011, and the remainder will be 90 percent completed by the end of 2012. To date, almost $126 million in CDBG funds has been invested. Public infrastructure also has been restored over the last year, as coastal communities have celebrated the completion of several new public building and improvement projects in the past 12 months, including:

• Bay St. Louis Valena C. Jones School
• Bay St. Louis Community Center
• Bay St. Louis Fire Station
• Biloxi Civic Center and Library
• Biloxi Courthouse Annex
• Biloxi Lighthouse Park and Visitors Center
• Coast Transit Agency Bus Stops
• D’Iberville Historic Town Green
• D’Iberville Waterfront Overlook
• Gulf Coast Mental Health Crossroads Recovery Center
• Gulfport Public Safety Complex
• Gulfport Small Craft Harbor and Jones Park
• Gulfport Downtown Building Improvements
• Hancock County Circuit Clerk and Chancery Clerk Office
• Jackson County Health Department
• Jackson County Ocean Springs Harbor House
• Long Beach City Hall
• Long Beach Downtown Renovation/Streetscape
• Long Beach Fire Station #2
• Moss Point Main Street Reconstruction
• Moss Point Riverwalk North
• Ocean Springs Sidewalk Infrastructure – Front Beach
• Old Brick House (Biloxi)
• Pascagoula Streetscape on Jackson Avenue and Delmas Avenue
• Pascagoula Live Oak Avenue Redevelopment and Senior Center
• Pass Christian Historical Society
• Waveland Library
• Waveland Rebuild Coleman Avenue

Several of the last remaining public infrastructure projects began construction in the past year, including:

• Biloxi Infrastructure repair program
• Gulfport Harbor Services Building
• Hancock County Health and Human Services Building
• Hancock County East Library
• Hancock County Longfellow Civic Center
• Hancock County Storm Preparedness Facility
• Hancock County Bayou Phillips Community Center
• Hancock Medical Center
• Santa Maria del Mar housing complex

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