Rapid Response from Oxfam: Don't Let FEMA Turn Them Out Again

In the year and a half since Hurricanes Katrina and Rita devastated the Gulf Coast, hundreds of thousands of families have been struggling to rebuild their lives. After months of delays, thousands are just now starting to receive rebuilding help; thousands more are still waiting.  Now, with so many homes still in ruin, FEMA is taking steps to end its housing assistance program. It's shocking, but if FEMA goes through with this plan, over 100,000 families will lose the ONLY home they have right now.  The survivors of Katrina and Rita deserve better than this. Click here to sign our petition urging FEMA to extend its housing assistance program for one year.It is going to take many more months of hard work to bring back the Gulf Coast. It's not fair to turn these families out when they have no home to return to-especially when their predicament is largely the result of bureaucratic delays. And it is not necessary-the 18-month deadline on assistance has been extended before for much smaller disasters.Families need timely assurance that they will have a roof over their heads in order for them to focus on the rebuilding that is necessary. They need a place to live while they repair their homes, work at their jobs, re-establish their children's schools, and find doctors to care for their families.  Don't let FEMA take away the stability these families need to continue rebuilding their lives. Please act today and sign our petition—convince FEMA to extend the program.Sincerely, Tim FullertonOxfam America