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The home secretary is promising the biggest policing reform in centuries, but she faces a fight, writes Laura Kuenssberg.
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FEMA will now accept additional forms of documentation to verify occupancy and ownership requirements, improving access to disaster assistance for underserved communities
WASHINGTON - DHS today announced three immediate steps FEMA is taking to reduce barriers to access experienced by underserved populations through programs that provide individual assistance to disaster survivors. FEMA will now accept a broader range of homeownership and occupancy documentation, and expand the forms of assistance offered to survivors. These changes to FEMA's Individual Assistance program will help to ensure equal access is available to all survivors through FEMA programs.
"Our Department has an obligation to ensure we provide equal access to disaster relief and assistance to all survivors who are in need," said . "Equity is a cornerstone of our homeland security mission and in all of our work we must reach minority communities, the disadvantaged, and the otherwise disenfranchised. The changes we are announcing today reflect our commitment to always do better in achieving this moral imperative."
"This is a culture shift for the agency and we are only just beginning," said . "These new changes reduce the barriers to entry for our Individual Assistance program and will help us to provide more equitable disaster support to all survivors, specifically for underserved populations. Heading into the peak of hurricane season with 12 named Atlantic storms to date, and as wildfires strengthen out west, FEMA continues to put equity at the forefront of how we support survivors before, during, and after disasters."
To better support survivors seeking disaster relief, FEMA is:
FEMA is required by law to verify a survivor's home occupancy or ownershi
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