Louisiana homeowners can register for Fortify Homes program

BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) - Homeowners in Louisiana can apply for a grant to repair their home’s roof.

The Louisiana Department of Insurance announced registration for the next round of the Louisiana Fortify Homes Program (LFHP) opened at 8 a.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 12, and will close at 5 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 16.

Click here to register

The program provides grants of up to $10,000 for homeowners to upgrade their roofs. The goal is to strengthen your roof to better withstand hurricane-force winds.

Officials say participants will be picked using a lottery system.

To participate in the lottery, homeowners must register during the five-day period in February. If you registered during a previous round but were not selected will have to register again to participate in the next round.

Residents will have to create a profile in the program’s system before registering for the lottery and may do so by visiting the LFHP website and clicking the Login button.

Once the lottery registration period closes, the LFHP will randomly select 1,000 participants and send an email notification to those who are selected to participate.

This round of grants is limited to residents of Louisiana’s Coastal Zone, Lake Charles, Sulphur, and Westlake.

To see if your home is located in Louisiana’s Coastal Zone, click here and enter your address in the “Find address or place” field in the top-right corner of the page: Coastal Zone Map. Homes within the blue-shaded area of the map are eligible.

ELIGIBILITY AND GRANT REQUIREMENTS:

• Homeowners applying for a grant should wait to see if they are selected to participate before contacting an Evaluator or Contractor as the process for selecting professionals is managed through the LFHP grant program. Homeowners who select a Contractor and begin work on the project before receiving approval from the LFHP are not eligible for the program.
• Homeowners selected to receive a grant will be responsible for paying evaluation fees for the entire evaluation process according to prices set by the Evaluator.
• Homeowners are only eligible for their primary residence and must verify they have a homestead exemption on the property during the application process.
• Homeowners must provide proof of an active residential insurance policy with wind coverage. If they live in a Special Flood Hazard Area as designated by FEMA, they must also provide proof of a flood insurance policy. Contact your agent if you are unsure whether you have these coverages.
• Homes must be in good repair as determined by a FORTIFIED Evaluator.
• Homeowners who have an open insurance claim or had a claim for the repair or replacement of the roof must disclose the claim information during the grant process.
• New construction homes, condominiums and mobile homes are not eligible to participate in the program.
• Homes on a foundation constructed of unrestrained stacked masonry or stone (dry-stack foundation) are not eligible without an approved retrofit of the foundation.
• The completed project must meet the FORTIFIED Roof Standard for the grant to be issued. Grant funds are paid directly to contractors. Homeowners are financially responsible for all costs beyond the full grant amount. Grant funding is limited to construction costs.
• These and all other eligibility requirements and program details may be reviewed at www.ldi.la.gov/fortifyhomes.

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