FEMA Establishes Guidelines For Making Manufactured Housing Units Available For Persons With Disabilities
Release Date: November 15, 2006
Release Number: HQ-06-159
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has established new guidelines that will result in an increase of its inventory of manufactured housing units accessible to persons with physical disabilities. The guidelines provide for a system to identify disaster victims' accessibility needs, the size of the household and the type of housing unit appropriate for their needs.
The guidelines call for the agency to work to maintain a minimum inventory of 2,500 accessible units ready for immediate use, subject to reductions from ongoing disaster operations. It also calls for the inventory to contain a range of accessible quarters, including one and two bedroom, that meet the requirements of the Uniform Federal Accessibility Standards (UFAS).
Per the guidelines, FEMA will interview disaster victims to obtain the information needed to meet the housing needs of a disabled individual. During the interview, FEMA will verify that the disaster victim has a medical condition or disability and is eligible for direct housing assistance.
The policy was established to ensure FEMA's compliance with the requirements of UFAS when providing temporary housing after a disaster. However, in some respects, the policy goes beyond the requirements of UFAS. For example, the FEMA policy calls for 15 percent of the individual lots in a FEMA group site to be designed to accommodate accessible units, while UFAS requires that only five percent of all units in a group site be designated for accessible units.
The interim policy is effective for all disasters declared on and after Oct. 13, 2006. It will be reviewed in one year.
