Photo courtesy of the American Red Cross/ Twitter.
According to NBC News, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has updated rules to prove homeownership, which will help Black Americans. The announcement was made on Sept. 2.
The new rules will allow those who can’t verify home or land ownership through deeds while applying for disaster aid. Many Black Americans inherited property through heirs’ property, which means there was no will, and the land was passed down through generations.
Because of racism and distrust, especially in southern states, the legal system often blocked Black people from officially documenting ownership. Native Americans, Appalachians and people with properties near the U.S.-Mexico border were also discriminated against. FEMA found an increasing amount of cases where Black people traced home and farm ownership back to the Reconstruction Era, yet they had no official documentation.
FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell said that an increasing number of people applying for funds were now eligible, whereas they would have automatically been denied before the change.
“We saw a huge increase in the number of people that we were able to deem eligible,” said Criswell. “Where in the past, we would have probably sent that letter and had them appeal the process.”
As of Aug. 23, applicants can self-verify ownership with receipts for home repairs or remodeling, etc. FEMA will also inspect applicants’ homes without verification and allow homeowners to show other documents and paperwork proving ownership to the inspector, such as receipts for paid property taxes or mortgage payments.
The Secretary of DHS Alejandro N. Mayorkas said that they are committed to closing the racial equity gap.
“Our Department has an obligation to ensure we provide equal access to disaster relief and assistance to all survivors who are in need,” he said. “Equity is a cornerstone of our homeland security mission and in all of our work we must reach minority communities, the disadvantaged, and the otherwise disenfranchised. The changes we are announcing today reflect our commitment to always do better in achieving this moral imperative.”
Louisiana was just devastated by Hurricane Ida, and FEMA has a chance to test the new policy because applicants have already begun to apply for FEMA aid. Many communities were flooded, and the Federation of Southern Cooperatives Association of Black farmers and landowners says that at least 60 percent of Black-owned southern land are heirs’ properties.