Governor
Chet Culver and Rev. Keith A. Ratliff, Sr., President of the
Iowa/Nebraska State NAACP
Iowa Celebrates 100th
Anniversary of the NAACP
Rev. Keith A. Ratliff, Sr.,
President of the Iowa/Nebraska NAACP State Conference of
Branches led a group of NAACP members, politicians and
well-wishers into the Governor Chet Culver’s office on March
11, 2009 to participate in a proclamation ceremony
celebrating the centennial ceremony of the national NAACP.
**State NAACP Economic Empowerment Committee Posting**
October 1, 2008
RIO
(Rebuilding Iowa Office)
Iowa has a new
state agency, RIO (Rebuilding Iowa Office) that was established
as a result of the devastation visited upon Iowa by the serve
storms of 2008. RIO’s mission is to “lead the State of Iowa’s
efforts to rebuild safer, stronger and smarter…”
RIO has an advisory commission that will head task forces
looking at housing, infrastructure and transportation, economic
and workforce development, public health and health care,
agriculture and environment, education, floodplain management
and hazard mitigation, cultural heritage and records retention,
and long-term recovery planning.
RIO is reaching out to Iowans through public meetings, the
internet, and other contacts to gather your input.
For more information on RIO, go to
,
or call their office at 515/242-5004.
**State NAACP Economic Empowerment Committee Posting**
October 1, 2008
“Jumpstart” Housing
Assistance Program
(20 million dollars)
The Iowa Finance
Authority (IFA), under the Housing Assistance Fund, will provide
financial assistance for:
-
Down Payment
Assistance for individuals whose homes were destroyed or
damaged beyond reasonable repair.
-
Housing
Repair/Rehabilitation Assistance for individuals whose homes
are not slated for buyouts.
-
Interim
Mortgage Assistance for individuals in an area submitted to
the State for possible buyout of their damaged homes.
-
Click
for more eligibility information regarding the above
assistance.
-
Go to
for help.
***Weekly
Update***
The Rebuild Iowa Office issues a weekly update every Friday.
REBUILD IOWA OFFICE
DETAILS DISASTER ASSISTANCE
(DES MOINES) —
Funds for residents and governments in Iowa impacted by this
year’s storms, tornadoes and flooding continue to increase.
This week, Iowa received additional funding in the Public
Assistance category. Also, the state has so far received a
total of $25 million from the Emergency Watershed Program and a
total of $30 million from the Emergency Conservation Program,
making the total U.S. Dept. of Agriculture Funds category $55
million (see below).
More than 39,800
Iowans have registered with FEMA for disaster assistance and
more than 35,000 Iowans have visited FEMA Disaster Recovery
Centers around the state. Of the 85 Iowa counties eligible for
federal assistance, 77 are eligible for both individual
assistance and public assistance.
Below are the
sources that make up the more than $1.3 billion in funding:
-
$251 Million
U.S Small Business Administration Loans
-
$134 Million
State/FEMA Housing Assistance and Other Needs
Assistance
-
$85
Million 1st Round CDBG Disaster Funds
-
$72
Million 2nd Round CDBG Disaster Funds
-
$125
Million 3rd Round CDBG Disaster Funds
-
$40
Million Start-up Funding for Jumpstart Iowa
Housing and Business
-
$37
Million Executive Council Action
-
$25
Million Iowa Finance Authority tax credits
-
$23
Million U.S. Department of Transportation
Funds
-
$18
Million Labor/Jobs Assistance
-
$55
Million U.S. Department of Agriculture Funds
-
$4
Million Economic Development/Transportation
funds
-
$4
Million RSP/ISP Crisis Counseling Grant
-
$6.2
Million Disaster Unemployment Assistance
-
$500,000 College Assistance to Families
JUMPSTART
IOWA UPDATE
Of the more than $1.3 billion in funding, $85 million will be
used for the Jumpstart Iowa Initiative. Jumpstart Iowa is a
state housing and small business recovery initiative, announced
by Governor Culver on Sept. 12. The state’s housing and small
business assistance plan brings assistance to Iowans still
feeling the effects of this year’s natural disaster. The
initial allocations were released to the councils of government
and entitlement cities on Sept. 26, with checks flowing to
individual Iowans days later. The Jumpstart Iowa Initiative is
designed to allow homeowners and businesses to apply for
forgivable loans to assist in business rebuilding, home repair
and purchase, and interim-mortgage assistance. Below are the
latest available figures for the Jumpstart Housing and Small
Business Assistance programs statewide:
Jumpstart
Housing Update (as of Dec. 11, 2008):
-
Total number
of applicants: 3,663
-
Total amount
requested in those applications: $45.3 million
-
Total number
of applicants approved to-date: 879
-
Total amount
obligated: $16.7 million
-
Total amount
disbursed: $8.7 million
-
Average
award: $19,010
-
Applications
ineligible for the program: 279 (8 percent of total
applicants)
Jumpstart
Small Business Update (as of Dec. 11, 2008):
-
Total number
of applicants: 736*
-
Total amount
requested in those applications: $96.4 million
-
Total number
of applicants approved to-date: 481
-
Total amount
obligated: $16.3 million
-
Total amount
disbursed: $8.1 million
-
Average
award: $33,958
-
Applications
ineligible for the program: 109 (15 percent of total
applicants)
*Decreased number
from last week due to duplication of records being removed from
the system
Iowans can learn
more about the program and how to apply for financial assistance
by visiting the Jumpstart Iowa Web site at
www.jumpstart.iowa.gov or by calling the toll-free number
1-866-849-0323.
For more information about the state's recovery and rebuilding
efforts, please visit the Rebuild Iowa Web site at
www.rio.iowa.gov.
