Road Home applicants all over Louisiana are closing on their grants. Read what participants from Lake Charles to New Orleans are saying about how the program is helping them rebuild their lives.
"We got approximately 13 feet of water from Katrina so there was nothing left downstairs by the time I got back to the house. The Road Home program has been a savior for me. I was just amazed. The people were very professional and really wanted to help. If they had not made good the losses that I had, I would have lost my home."
Paul from Slidell
"For Katrina, we lost everything on the first floor. We lost all the walls, all the flooring -- we could not salvage anything. I had insurance-I didn't have enough to cover my losses, so we went ahead and applied for The Road Home program. I didn't think I'd receive a cent, but what happened far exceeded my expectations."
Scott from Metairie
"We didn't think we'd get as much money as we did from The Road Home because we had an SBA loan and we did have insurance. As it turned out, the money we received paid a portion of our SBA loan so that's less that comes out of our pocket. It feels good being home again. It's an old house and it's a strong house. It will be here for a long time."
Patsy and James from New Orleans
"I never left the city before Katrina but they kept saying, 'It's the big one, it's the big one!' As it turned out, my house was under water for about three weeks. I had to throw away just about everything. I'm glad that now I can start to live again."
Frankie from New Orleans
"We saw a Road Home advertisement on TV and it was so easy to apply online. We had everything we needed in our little Katrina file and the process went smoothly. And when The Road Home appraisers came out, they saw things the insurance company didn't cover. It surprised us really. We tell our friends and family that there are real people and real money at the end of this tunnel. It's worth the wait."
Orlando and Debbie from Slidell
"Without The Road Home proceeds, my financial situation would be depleted and my house would be unlivable. With monies received from The Road Home program, my family and I were able to put our life back on track. Everyone was very helpful and compassionate and versed in the knowledge of the program. Stick with the process because it does work."
Jimmie from New Orleans
"Dead cows, dead horses, other people's houses... it was all in our sugarcane fields. And we came home to find two inches of mud in our home, too. We are not the kind of people who want a handout. You go out and work for what you need, and you don't expect money from the system. Still, when it comes to you, you are very grateful. The Road Home is real. It's not just the government dangling a carrot."
Robert and Lynn from Erath
"After the hurricane, I had to stand on my feet and solve my own problems. My insurance that I did have didn't cover that much. I heard about The Road Home on TV and I relaxed. I was just so relieved that someone was here to help us. The Road Home will help when nobody else will."
Elrena from Lake Charles
"It looked like someone had dropped a bomb on Lake Charles. The wind came in and shifted our house. We took money out of our 401K to do some things, but The Road Home program is going to allow us to make our home stronger than it was before the storm. Plus, we fell behind on our mortgage and The Road Home helped us get caught up. It was the best Christmas present we could have received!"
Michael from Lake Charles