SAVE MISSOURI JOBS AND EMPOWER PEOPLE - EXTEND SOCIAL SERVICES SUPPLEMENTAL BLOCK GRANT (DISASTER SUPPLEMENTAL)
By my signature hereto, I urgently join the Missouri SSBG-Disaster Supplemental Project, other states, and participating agencies to request Congressional and Presidential support for an extension of the period for expending Social Services Block Gr
SAVE MISSOURI JOBS AND EMPOWER PEOPLE - EXTEND SOCIAL SERVICES SUPPLEMENTAL BLOCK GRANT - DISASTER SUPPLEMENTAL
Dear President Obama and Members of Congress:
Background
In late 2008 Congress appropriated funds to assist with recovery from natural disasters occurring in 20 states and one US Territory 2008, including Iowa, Illinois, Louisiana, Florida, Missouri and Texas. Congress included $600 million for Social Services Block Grant (SSBG) disaster recovery funds and in early 2009 the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services allocated approximately $12.2 million to Missouri. The six disasters impacting Missouri, which received Presidential declarations in 2008, included floods, tornados, severe storms and severe winter storms, affecting 104 of 114 Missouri counties. Many households were impacted by more than one of these events. The resources available to disaster survivors in all disasters including local, state, federal, not-for-profit and faith-based resources proved insufficient to restore hundreds of households to a reasonable level of self-sustainability. This is considered to be due in large part to the unprecedented number and scale of disasters in Missouri since 2003 which have depleted resources and contributed to donor and volunteer fatigue. The cumulative effect of these disasters has been a reduction in resources and therefore, more households left marginalized by the disaster impact. The 2008 storms further challenged a severely strained resource system, leaving large pockets of Missourians at risk of failure to recover. This in turn was recognized as a significant threat to some Missouri communities and counties. Emergency Human Services organizations reasoned that to shore up the individual households affected by 2008 disasters by returning them to a reasonable level of self-sustainability the local community and region would in turn be shored up. As a result, the state of Missouri determined to use the Social Services Block Grant ? Disaster Supplemental (SSBG ? DS) funds to pick up the long-term recovery work to individuals and households where regular disaster recovery efforts had left off.
Current Situation
The Missouri SSBG-Disaster Supplemental Project has initiated services to 218 households, providing funding for significant repair, rebuild, relocation, and household goods restoration projects. More than 100 of these projects are currently underway and at risk of not being completed before the December 31 deadline for expenditure of funds. An additional 90 households are estimated to be still awaiting initiation of services and will likely not be served without an extension. The Project has already obligated more than half of the funding allocated but the remaining funds are necessary to assist all affected who cannot accomplish their own recovery.
It takes time for the state to gear up to serve disaster victims through a grant such as SSBG-Disaster Supplemental. In addition, the numbers of specifically skilled contractors statewide, who are willing to take on such work, is not equal to the need in order to work multiple projects at one time. Currently these funds must be obligated by September 30, 2010 and expended by December 31, 2010. This deadline is statutory. The Missouri SSBG-Disaster Supplemental Project and participating agencies recommend that we request Congressional and Presidential support for obtaining an extension of the period during which SSBG-Disaster Supplemental funds may be obligated. A similar extension was granted for Hurricane Katrina SSBG disaster recovery funds. This extension will not add to the federal deficit.
Action Requested
By my signature hereto, I urgently join the Missouri SSBG-Disaster Supplemental Project, other states, and participating agencies to request Congressional and Presidential support for an extension of the period for expending Social Services Block Grant - Disaster Supplemental funds to serve 2008 disaster survivors before authorization to use the funds expires on September 30, 2010.
Dear President Obama and Members of Congress:
Background
In late 2008 Congress appropriated funds to assist with recovery from natural disasters occurring in 20 states and one US Territory 2008, including Iowa, Illinois, Louisiana, Florida, Missouri and Texas. Congress included $600 million for Social Services Block Grant (SSBG) disaster recovery funds and in early 2009 the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services allocated approximately $12.2 million to Missouri. The six disasters impacting Missouri, which received Presidential declarations in 2008, included floods, tornados, severe storms and severe winter storms, affecting 104 of 114 Missouri counties. Many households were impacted by more than one of these events. The resources available to disaster survivors in all disasters including local, state, federal, not-for-profit and faith-based resources proved insufficient to restore hundreds of households to a reasonable level of self-sustainability. This is considered to be due in large part to the unprecedented number and scale of disasters in Missouri since 2003 which have depleted resources and contributed to donor and volunteer fatigue. The cumulative effect of these disasters has been a reduction in resources and therefore, more households left marginalized by the disaster impact. The 2008 storms further challenged a severely strained resource system, leaving large pockets of Missourians at risk of failure to recover. This in turn was recognized as a significant threat to some Missouri communities and counties. Emergency Human Services organizations reasoned that to shore up the individual households affected by 2008 disasters by returning them to a reasonable level of self-sustainability the local community and region would in turn be shored up. As a result, the state of Missouri determined to use the Social Services Block Grant ? Disaster Supplemental (SSBG ? DS) funds to pick up the long-term recovery work to individuals and households where regular disaster recovery efforts had left off.
Current Situation
The Missouri SSBG-Disaster Supplemental Project has initiated services to 218 households, providing funding for significant repair, rebuild, relocation, and household goods restoration projects. More than 100 of these projects are currently underway and at risk of not being completed before the December 31 deadline for expenditure of funds. An additional 90 households are estimated to be still awaiting initiation of services and will likely not be served without an extension. The Project has already obligated more than half of the funding allocated but the remaining funds are necessary to assist all affected who cannot accomplish their own recovery.
It takes time for the state to gear up to serve disaster victims through a grant such as SSBG-Disaster Supplemental. In addition, the numbers of specifically skilled contractors statewide, who are willing to take on such work, is not equal to the need in order to work multiple projects at one time. Currently these funds must be obligated by September 30, 2010 and expended by December 31, 2010. This deadline is statutory. The Missouri SSBG-Disaster Supplemental Project and participating agencies recommend that we request Congressional and Presidential support for obtaining an extension of the period during which SSBG-Disaster Supplemental funds may be obligated. A similar extension was granted for Hurricane Katrina SSBG disaster recovery funds. This extension will not add to the federal deficit.
Action Requested
By my signature hereto, I urgently join the Missouri SSBG-Disaster Supplemental Project, other states, and participating agencies to request Congressional and Presidential support for an extension of the period for expending Social Services Block Grant - Disaster Supplemental funds to serve 2008 disaster survivors before authorization to use the funds expires on September 30, 2010.
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