Applied

I finally submitted our application to the Road Home program — and not a moment too soon. The deadline is July 31, and I’ve been procrastinating since I resolved to apply in March.

This program is supposed to help Louisiana homeowners get back in their homes after the devastation caused by Katrina and Rita and attendant flooding. It’s been a colossal clusterfuck — sorry, there’s just no other word for it.

In fact there was another story on the front page of today’s paper: Every step bumpy for Road Home, which refers to a “crescendo of gaffes.” Only 27% of 140,000 applicants have closed on their grants, and it looks like their will be a significant shortfall. The paper also publishes a full-page flowchart of the “Rube Goldberg” process which is frankly astonishing, a veritable blueprint of a bureaucratic nightmare that would make Franz Kafka blush. Actually it’s quite helpful. Unfortunately this gem doesn’t seem to be online yet.

(In fact, a flow chart like this is one of the things that participants in yesterday’s Road Home Unconference identified as a key aide in understanding the process. Yes, I was there, but only briefly. For some initial thoughts on the event see TechChris.com.)

We’re among those “lucky” few who not only had adequate insurance, but didn’t get screwed by our insurance company. I wish I could say that our insurance settlement was enough to cover the cost of our repairs, but since the renovation still isn’t finished, it’s hard to know for sure. So I applied to Road Home just in case, even though we may not actually be eligible for anything. Even if we are, they’ll probably run out of money before they get to us.