Blueprint for Gulf Renewal

The Katrina Crisis and a Community Agenda for Action

August/September 2007

On September 15, 2005, President Bush pledged that our nation would "do what it takes, and stay as long as it takes," to rebuild the Gulf Coast. Yet over 60,000 people are still in "temporary" FEMA trailers, and houses, hospitals and schools across the region remain shuttered. For thousands of people, the Katrina recovery has failed.

Blueprint for Gulf Renewal: The Katrina Crisis and a Community Agenda for Action [pdf], published in collaboration with Oxfam America and the Jewish Funds for Justice, looks at 80 statistical indicators and draws on interviews with more than 40 Gulf Coast leaders to identify roadblocks to recovery, and ways federal leaders can tackle critical needs in the region like housing, jobs and coastal protection.

The study also features "Where did the Katrina money go?" -- an in-depth analysis of federal Katrina spending since 2005. The Institute reveals that, out of the $116 billion in Katrina funds allocated, less than 30% has gone towards long-term rebuilding--and less than half of that 30% has been spent, much less reached those most in need.

For a full copy of the report, visit here [pdf]. You can read the press release here.