Program Information  (Download Program Information as PDF)

Overview
The Emergency Lodging Assistance program provides lodging reimbursement for pre-qualified individuals from designated disaster areas. The Federal Emergency Management Agency created the ELA program to provide temporary shelter as a result of a Federal disaster declaration. As administrator for this FEMA-funded preparedness initiative, CLC provides rules-based payments for all qualified applicants at participating lodging providers.

Program Activation
FEMA determines all ELA program activations. Upon notice from FEMA, CLC communicates ELA program activation information to lodging providers through a variety of delivery methods (fax, mail, internet alerts.) CLC encourages lodging providers to visit the ELA website on a frequent basis to stay informed on activation alerts, comprehensive program news and updates.

Disaster Survivor Processing
Individuals seeking assistance must contact FEMA to qualify for the ELA program. Only qualified individuals are eligible for lodging assistance under the terms of the ELA program. Lodging providers process all FEMA-qualified individuals seeking shelter through the ELA website.

Important Notes:

• All qualified Survivors must sign an Emergency Lodging Assistance-Terms and Conditions form. The form must be dated when the Survivor(s) first arrives at the lodging provider
• All qualified Survivors must present a valid government-issued ID at check-in
• Instruct Survivors to contact FEMA for assistance with all ELA-related issues
• Each qualified Survivor is assigned an authorized start and end date. Qualified Survivors are only eligible for lodging assistance during their assigned authorization period
• Lodging costs incurred outside of the assigned period or exceeding the per-diem based maximum nightly room rate, are the sole responsibility of the Survivor
• At the discretion of FEMA, lodging assistance can be extended on a case-by-case basis
• Check all eligible Survivors into your ELA account as soon as they are issued a room

Virtual Pay Processing:

• Lodging providers receiving ELA payments through virtual payment can download instructions for processing payments by clicking the following form. VIRTUAL PAYMENT INSTRUCTIONS