Updated 9/19/2022
Talk to the water or power company if you get behind on your bill.
Do not ignore unpaid bills.
Unpaid bills can lead to cutoffs.
First - contact Entergy.
There is online information about Entergy payment assistance here.
You can also call Entergy at 1-800-ENTERGY (1-800-368-3749)
LIHEAP (the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program) has federal money to help people pay energy bills and other energy-related expenses.
Total Community Action (TCA) connects people with LIHEAP aid.
To see if you qualify for LIHEAP , call TCA.
(504) 324-8609.
You can also use the TCA website here.
First, contact Sewerage and Water Board (SWB).
SWB has online information about help with payments here.
You can also call SWB.
(504) 529-2837
The program helps elderly, disabled and lower-income customers pay their water bills and make minor plumbing repairs.
Total Community Action (TCA) connects people with help from this program.
You apply in person at:
Total Community Action
1424 South Jefferson Davis Parkway
New Orleans, LA 70125
(504) 324-8609
To get this:
Bring the following to apply:
For more information you can call TCA: (504) 324-8609.
Ask the Sewerage and Water Board about a “Payment Arrangement” plan.
You may qualify for a payment plan to help pay off your bill.
The plan will let you pay off what you owe over several months.
Catholic Charities of New Orleans - Utility Aid
Call (504) 523-3755.
Website: https://www.ccano.org/
City of New Orleans Department of Human Services (formerly City Welfare)
New Orleans City Hall
Room 1W30
New Orleans, LA 70112
(504) 658-3310
Orleans Parish Council on Aging (COA)
2475 Canal Street (4th Floor)
New Orleans, LA 70119
(504) 821-4121
Updated 3/15/2022
The information below tells you what kind of FEMA help you may be able to get after you have used up the first round of rent help FEMA gave you.
FEMA gave people up to two months of rent money after Hurricane Ida.
Two months of rent may not be enough for some people.
People who need more months of help may be able to get more aid from FEMA.
FEMA can give continued rental assistance for up to 18 months of rent help. This help can be for renters and homeowners.
FEMA can only help people who qualify for more aid.
One of two things must be true to get extra aid.
and
1. If possible, plan ahead
Get your paperwork and other information together now.
FEMA may take at least 30 days to review your request for more aid after FEMA gets your paperwork.
Apply will before your rent is due. If you delay, FEMA may not get aid to you before your rent is due.
2. Fill out a Declaration of Continuing Need for Temporary Rental Assistance
This form asks about these things:
Make sure you give FEMA all of the information they ask for!
The application must not have any missing information.
Any blanks on the form will slow down your request for rent aid.
FEMA will ask for information for any missing details.
Important: Make sure you sign the declaration!
FEMA will not process your form unless you sign it.
FEMA also needs paperwork from you to show that the declaration is true.
3. Get together paperwork FEMA needs
FEMA wants paperwork to show you qualify for more aid.
Here is a list of the paperwork FEMA needs:
FEMA must have a copy of your current lease or rental agreement. FEMA will not give for more aid without this. The lease must include the name and phone number of the landlord.
If you were a pre-disaster renter, you must give FEMA a copy of your pre-disaster lease.
FEMA needs to know you spent all of the first round of rent aid.
You must submit a copy of all rent receipts, cancelled checks, or money orders to prove that the earlier FEMA rent aid was spent on rent. This includes hotel receipts.
FEMA needs proof of income for all family members over age 18 living in the home.
This proof of income for each household member must show income before Hurricane Ida and after Hurricane Ida.
Proof of income may include:
FEMA needs proof of utility bills dated before and after Hurricane Ida.
People with homeowner’s insurance cannot get rental assistance if their insurance covers either “Additional Living Expenses” or “Loss of Use” claims.
If your homeowner’s insurance does not cover “Additional Living Expenses” or “Loss of Use”, you MUST include a copy of your policy or your declaration page so FEMA can see this.
4. Send Your Application and Paperwork to FEMA
Put all of your paperwork for your application for more rent aid together in one packet to send to FEMA.
5. Put the following information on every page of the papers you send to FEMA:
Keep copies of everything you send to FEMA! Keep these copies in a safe place! That way you have a backup in case FEMA misfiles what you submit.
You can send information to FEMA online, by FAX, or by mail.
You can upload your paperwork for FEMA to your disasterassistance.gov account.
You can FAX your paperwork to FEMA at 1-800-827-8112.
You can mail your packet to FEMA, P.O. Box 10055, Hyattsville, MD 20782-8055.
If you are missing anything FEMA will usually take much longer to decide your claim or may deny it. So it is best to think of other ways to get what you don’t have. You might ask your old landlord for the old lease. For income documents you might ask an employer or use bank records that show the deposits.
If you can’t get anything, write a statement that includes:
For Hurricane Ida FEMA can give up to 175% of its normal rent amounts if convinced you need more to find a place to live.
If you applied for continued rental assistance and you did not get enough to afford a place to rent, you may be able to get free legal aid from Southeast Louisiana Legal Services. Call our Helpline at 1-844-244-7871 to apply or fill out our online application here.
Even if FEMA gives you more rent aid, it does not mean you will keep getting aid for 18 months.
If you own your home, FEMA expects you to return to your home as soon as repairs are done.
If you rent a place to live FEMA expects you to find a place you can afford without FEMA help as soon as possible.
FEMA will stop giving aid if it thinks you could have gotten back into an affordable home.
Tenants, owners, and management of the following types of housing subsidized by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) –
This rule does NOT apply to –
On November 8, 2021 a set of new HUD regulations went into effect which require Landlords at the above properties must provide more notice to tenants before evicting them for nonpayment of rent during certain federally-declared disasters where HUD has published a determination to enforce the new rule:
HUD published its determination that the conditions exist for the rule to go into effect here, so it is currently in effect. HUD’s Interim Final Rule outlining the changes can be found here.
The new rule went into effect on November 8, 2021.
How do you know if a property has a subsidy covered by the new rule? You can check one of the following databases:
If a tenant is paying below-market rent equal to about 1/3 of their income at a multifamily property operated by a Public Housing Authority or private owner, they may be covered by this protection.