<table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0" ><tr><td valign="top" style="font: inherit;"><DIV id=yiv1134193606>Dear Friend of CHAT and Gentilly Residents,</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>The email that I am requesting you to send TODAY is urgent.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> If you can't send it today, then send it later, but today is much better.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Please address it to Rep. Waters, a great friend in Congress of Louisiana's post-hurricane recovery and HUD officials, who will be at the hearing.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>For example,</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Dear Rep. Waters and HUD Officials,</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>I am a Road Home applicant. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><EM><STRONG>AND then mention any of the following that apply to you or concern you.</STRONG></EM></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=5><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffff00"><STRONG>TODAY</STRONG>:</FONT> <STRONG><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff">please send me a message to me to forward to Rep. Waters and HUD officials.</FONT></STRONG></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff"></FONT></STRONG> </DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff"></FONT></STRONG> </DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff">You can just respond to this email or send to <A href="mailto:mehrlich8@yahoo.com">mehrlich8@yahoo.com</A> and to CHAT's email address <A href="mailto:chatlra@yahoo.com">chatlra@yahoo.com</A></FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff"></FONT></STRONG> </DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff">Please state your satisfaction with the Road Home Program</FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff"></FONT></STRONG> </DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff">and any of your concerns about one or more of the following:</FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG></STRONG> </DIV>
<DIV><U>1. Is the amount of your RH grant causing you a hardship compared to your repair or rebuilding costs</U>?</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT color=#ff0000>If you are low-income, it is important to say this</FONT>.</STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG></STRONG> </DIV>
<DIV><STRONG></STRONG> </DIV>
<DIV><STRONG></STRONG> </DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT color=#ff0000>If you are not low-income,</FONT> </STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG></STRONG> </DIV>
<DIV><STRONG>but your RH grant was not enough to allow you to complete repair or rebuilding </STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG></STRONG> </DIV>
<DIV><STRONG>or you have repaired but the small size of your grant has caused you a financial hardship, </STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG></STRONG> </DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT color=#ff0000>please say so and explain.</FONT></STRONG></DIV>
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<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>2. Elevation grant program.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><U>Did you get enough funding to elevate your house?</U></DIV>
<DIV><U></U> </DIV>
<DIV>Are you having trouble or unable to elevate your house because of delays in funding? Please explain. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>3. <U>Do you still want a chance for an independent and new appeal of mistakes by the RH in calculating your grant?</U></DIV>
<DIV><U></U> </DIV>
<DIV><U></U> </DIV>
<DIV><U>Do you want fair and publicized rules for how they consider the evidence and decide the appeal?</U></DIV>
<DIV><U></U> </DIV>
<DIV><U></U> </DIV>
<DIV><U>
<DIV>Did you not have a chance to appeal or complete your appeal? Why?</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV></U></DIV>
<DIV><U>Do you want an opportunity to submit evidence and you did not have a chance to do that during your appeal or dispute resolution?</U></DIV>
<DIV><U></U> </DIV>
<DIV><U></U> </DIV>
<DIV><U>
<DIV>Did you have trouble appealing or disputing because you did not have a copy of your file?</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV></U></DIV>
<DIV>Are you appealing or did you appeal or dispute your grant amount? Why? </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Was your appeal or dispute denied but you had little or no explanation or a wrong explanation? Please describe.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Did you want to go to court about mistakes in your RH grant but can't because the closing documents say you can't?</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><U>4. Did RH make a mistake in determining your pre-storm value or cost of damage?</U></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Please explain.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>5. Address any your concerns you may have about the rules of the RH to officials of HUD.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>6. Please comment on the importance of the HUD Inspector General</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> interviewing applicants with RH problems and not mostly just RH and HUD officials and contractor representatives </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> not delaying completion of the investigation</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>as part of their investigation of our RH complaint.</DIV>
<DIV>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 1in"><B><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></B></DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.75in; TEXT-INDENT: -60pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 200%; mso-list: l64 level1 lfo3; tab-stops: list .5in 186.0pt"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 200%; FONT-FAMILY: Wingdings; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings"><SPAN style="mso-list: Ignore">v<SPAN style="FONT: 7pt 'Times New Roman'"> </SPAN></SPAN></SPAN><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: #333333; LINE-HEIGHT: 200%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"><A href="http://chatushome.com/chatusfiles/HUD_OIG_Complaint_ForPublicRelease_final__2_2_09.pdf"><FONT color=#0000ff>Click here </FONT></A></SPAN></B><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: red; LINE-HEIGHT: 200%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'">to read t<SPAN style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold">he CHAT complaint to the HUD Office of the Inspector General (HUD OIG) Accepted
for Audit in February</SPAN></SPAN></B><B><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 200%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"> </SPAN></B><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 200%"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></B></DIV></DIV>
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<DIV>Do you think it is important for the inspectors to give at least 50 applicants who have unresolved problems with their grant calculations a chance to submit evidence of their problems? Why?</DIV>
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<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #a0ff40" size=5>Congressional Field Hearing in New Orleans on Thurs. </FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #a0ff40" size=5>If you can attend, please do!</FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #a0ff40"></FONT></STRONG> </DIV>
<DIV>
<P style="TEXT-ALIGN: center" align=center><FONT face="Times New Roman"><B><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 13.5pt; COLOR: black">Subcommittee on Housing and Community Opportunity </SPAN></B><SPAN style="COLOR: black"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<P style="TEXT-ALIGN: center" align=center><FONT face="Times New Roman"><B><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 13.5pt; COLOR: black">To Hold Field Hearings on Post-Katrina New Orleans </SPAN></B><SPAN style="COLOR: black"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN style="COLOR: black"><FONT size=3><FONT face="Times New Roman">Washington, DC – Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA), chairwoman of the House Financial Services Subcommittee on Housing and Community Opportunity, today announced that the subcommittee will hold two days of hearings in New Orleans. The first hearing will focus on the Road Home program. The second hearing will focus on the status of the “Big Four” public housing developments, two housing programs which are critical to the City’s recovery. <o:p></o:p></FONT></FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN style="COLOR: black"><FONT size=3><FONT face="Times New Roman">Witnesses will include the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Louisiana Recovery Authority, the Mayor of New Orleans, legal aid experts, housing advocates, housing developers, residents of low-income housing, and homeowners dealing with the Road Home program. Chairwoman Waters held similar hearings at the start of the 110<SUP>th</SUP> Congress. As a result of those hearings, she introduced H.R. 1227, the Gulf Coast Hurricane Housing Recovery Act of 2007, legislation which passed the House of Representatives on March 21, 2007 on a bipartisan vote of 302 to 125. She plans to introduce a similar bill following these hearings.<o:p></o:p></FONT></FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3><FONT face="Times New Roman"><B><SPAN style="COLOR: black">Who</SPAN></B><SPAN style="COLOR: black">: House Committee on Financial Services, Subcommittee on Housing and Community Opportunity<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3><FONT face="Times New Roman"><B><SPAN style="COLOR: black">What:</SPAN></B><SPAN style="COLOR: black"> Hearing entitled “Implementation of the Road Home Program Four Years after Hurricane Katrina”<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3><FONT face="Times New Roman"><B><SPAN style="COLOR: black">When:</SPAN></B><SPAN style="COLOR: black"> Thursday, August 20, 2009<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<P style="MARGIN-LEFT: 2in"><SPAN style="COLOR: black"><FONT size=3><FONT face="Times New Roman">1:00 PM <o:p></o:p></FONT></FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3><FONT face="Times New Roman"><B><SPAN style="COLOR: black">Where: </SPAN></B><SPAN style="COLOR: black"> Lawless Memorial Chapel, Dillard University, 2601 Gentilly Boulevard, New Orleans<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN style="COLOR: black"><FONT size=3><FONT face="Times New Roman"> <BR><B>Who</B>: House Committee on Financial Services, Subcommittee on Housing and Community Opportunity<o:p></o:p></FONT></FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3><FONT face="Times New Roman"><B><SPAN style="COLOR: black">What:</SPAN></B><SPAN style="COLOR: black"> Hearing entitled “Status of the ‘Big Four’ Four Years After Hurricane Katrina”<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3><FONT face="Times New Roman"><B><SPAN style="COLOR: black">When:</SPAN></B><SPAN style="COLOR: black"> Friday, August 21, 2009<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<P style="MARGIN-LEFT: 2in"><SPAN style="COLOR: black"><FONT size=3><FONT face="Times New Roman">10:00 AM <o:p></o:p></FONT></FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3><FONT face="Times New Roman"><B><SPAN style="COLOR: black">Where: </SPAN></B><SPAN style="COLOR: black"> Lawless Memorial Chapel, Dillard University, 2601 Gentilly Boulevard, New Orleans <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN style="COLOR: black"><FONT size=3><FONT face="Times New Roman">Witnesses to be announced. <o:p></o:p></FONT></FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt"><o:p><FONT face=Calibri size=3> </FONT></o:p></DIV></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><U>Rep. Waters introduced legislation in 2007 to "improve the [Road Home] Program" and require reporting to Congress.</U></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><U></U></STRONG> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Thank you for any help you can give by sending this email to <A href="mailto:mehrlich8@yahoo.com">mehrlich8@yahoo.com</A>; <A href="mailto:chatlra@yahoo.com">chatlra@yahoo.com</A> (today, if possible) and/or coming to the hearing.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Melanie Ehrlich</DIV>
<DIV>Founder, Citizens' Road Home Action Team (CHAT)</DIV>
<DIV>Member, LRA Housing Task Force</DIV>
<DIV><A href="http://chatushome.com">http://chatushome.com</A></DIV></td></tr></table>