Below are updated notices on state-federal help for those who lost housing due to the hurricanes. Items 1 and 3 are probably the most helpful for programs, organizations, individuals involved in preventing/mitigating homelessness.

The workforce efforts to help roofing/construction companies to recruit/train/hire more roofers so they can handle more roofing repair/replacement jobs has had mixed success, and efforts to get new roofing businesses started or imported from other states has encountered major barriers due to Workers Comp costs----up to 40% of payroll for in-state construction/roofing companies, and up to 60% for roofers based out of state, even if licensed in Florida. That also greatly increases the price for roofing, and adds to the wait time to get licensed roofers, as well as the temptation to use unlicensed “fly-by-nights,” who typically also are not the most ethical, caring employers. Note that the Army Corps of Engineers will end its “Blue Off” program (pdf, 79K) on 10/31/04-----and will no longer provide free temporary roof coverings (loosely fastened blued tarps) for partially damaged roofs.

However on the bright side, at least one local partnership of workforce, education and economic development/business folks have established a short course on do-it-yourself roofing repair in the Ocala area. The Citrus/Levy/Marion Regional Workforce Board (Rusty Skinner) has put up the seed money in the form of tuition for some dislocated worker clients to set up the half-day sessions presented by Central Florida Community College and the local Vocational-Technical Center, also allowing the general public to register and pay their own tuition. We expect the experiment to be successful and will disseminate the design and results as a best practice after the first round of sessions.