Topic: Domestic Commerce — Disaster Relief
Subject: Housing and community development
Date: 2007-06-20 00:00:00

Gulf Coast Housing Recovery Act of 2007 - Requires the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to allow specified uses by Louisiana of certain funds under the Road Home Program.Requires state reports, made public on the Internet, on each state grant program for household assistance programs funded with community development block grant (CDBG) disaster assistance.Directs the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to require Louisiana to make certain funds available for specified community development pilot programs in Orleans and other parishes.Authorizes additional funds for the Road Home Program.Permits a state or locality to use, as a matching requirement, share, or contribution for any other federal program, certain CDBG funds previously made available for disaster relief, long-term recovery, and infrastructure restoration in major disaster areas affected by Hurricane Katrina, Rita, or Wilma.Authorizes appropriations to HUD, via FEMA, of certain Hurricane-related unobligated disaster relief funds to reimburse metropolitan cities and urban counties for amounts used to provide rental housing assistance to hurricane-evacuated families.Directs the Secretary to provide for an independent survey of public housing residents of New Orleans about returning to a repaired public housing or comparable dwelling unit.Sets a deadline for the Housing Authority of New Orleans (Authority) to make a certain number of dwelling units available for occupancy.Grants a right of return to previous public housing households. Prohibits the Authority from: (1) preventing such households from occupying a replacement dwelling unit, except as prohibited by federal law; or (2) demolishing or disposing of any public housing dwelling unit operated or administered by it (including any uninhabitable unit), except pursuant to a HUD-approved replacement plan.Requires the Secretary to report to certain congressional committees on all public housing projects in the Katrina or Rita disaster areas for which plans exist to transfer ownership to other entities or agencies.Authorizes appropriations for repair and rehabilitation of the Authority's public housing. Extends through June 30, 2008, the HUD Disaster Voucher Program and the Secretary's authority to waive specified requirements related to section 8 rental assistance.Provides for: (1) tenant replacement vouchers for all lost units; (2) voucher assistance for households receiving FEMA assistance, including residents of FEMA trailers; (3) voucher assistance for supportive housing; (4) waiver of limitations on project-basing of vouchers; (5) preservation of project-based housing assistance payments contracts for dwelling units damaged or destroyed; and (6) reimbursement to landlords for damages resulting from abrogation by FEMA of commitments entered into under the city lease program.Prohibits the HUD Secretary from denying conveyance of property title to HUD and payment of hazard or flood insurance benefits in specified circumstances.Establishes within HUD an FHA-New Orleans Homeownership Opportunities Initiative.Authorizes appropriations for the fair housing initiatives program.Directs the Comptroller General to study and report to Congress on methods of improving distribution of federal housing funds to assist states with hurricane recovery.Commends the actions and efforts by individuals and organizations who contributed to the hurricane relief effort.