Statement before the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management United States House of Representatives

the Urban Institute. Opinions expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the Urban Institute, its trustees, or its sponsors. More than 18 months after the devastation of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, too many low-income families remain in FEMA trailer parks. The numbers seem to change day by day, but recent reports indicate that thousands of displaced renters live in over 115 group trailer sites constructed, managed, or funded by FEMA (Garratt 2007). I visited one of these sites almost a year ago and saw hundreds of tiny trailers lined up in efficient rows in a huge, fenced-in field, miles from schools, jobs, grocery stores, playgrounds, or doctors offices. Despite the best efforts of the management staff, it epitomized everything that housing policy can do wrong for families