Senate Report by Dan Sparks

The flooding that took place across southern Minnesota last September left us in a state of disaster. It was hard on everyone — but some more than others. I know of one individual who’s been forced to leave her home and live with her daughter since last September. Her home endured $30,000 in mold and foundation damage. She lost all her personal possessions, and her insurance paid almost nothing because she didn’t have flood coverage.

Not everyone affected has had to vacate their home, but everyone’s been affected in one way or another. Many homeowners are dealing with mold, unsafe furnaces and compromised foundations. Many had their furniture, clothing, shoes, computers, books, family photographs or other valuables destroyed by flooding. And, as a result, many are looking for a source of relief.

The Quick Start Disaster Recovery Program is a program offered by the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency. As a last resort, the program covers the difference between the amount of assistance dollars a homeowner receives (adding up insurance dollars as well as those from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Small Business Administration) and the amount needed to repair their house to the condition it was in before the flood. If the former is smaller than the latter, a homeowner probably qualifies for a quick-start loan, which will fund this deficit with a no-interest loan up to $20,000. Quick Start loans are even forgivable under some circumstances, which offers relief to those hit with flood-related hardships. However, it recently came to my attention that the Quick Start program is short on funding.

This low funding level became apparent to the Resource Center in Freeborn County after many in the area began requesting assistance. The fund that issues money to the Quick Start loan program was low on dollars. Currently, there is $1.9 million in the fund, but the amount needed to cover the fall flood damage far exceeds that amount. Since hearing the news, I’ve been working to find a fix here at the state level.

The Freeborn County Disaster Relief Committee visited recently and reiterated the great need for loan assistance. There are 256 open cases in Freeborn County alone that need attention, and there are countless more in LeSueur, Steele, Waseca, Rice and Blue Earth counties. It’s been estimated that it will take closer to $4 or $5 million to cover the unmet costs. For this reason, I’m seeking funding for the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency to be used specifically in southern Minnesota’s flood-affected areas.

We’ll never be able to recover priceless family photos or irreplaceable digital files that some residents of southern Minnesota have lost. We can, however, help people get their homes back to the livable state they were in before last year’s flooding. I intend to pursue this funding so that no one in my district is paying a mortgage on a house that isn’t fit to live in.

Dan Sparks, DFL-Austin, is the District 27 senator.