BATON ROUGE – More than 5,000 homes have received temporary repairs through the Shelter at Home program, the Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness announced.

A total of 5,195 homes have been completed and another 4,480 repairs are taking place with 21,552 people signed up for the program.

"We are glad to see many families and individuals returning to their homes through Shelter at Home and other housing programs, but we realize there is still much left to be done.  Nearly everyone we spoke with as the floodwaters dropped told us about the importance of keeping our communities whole, " Jim Waskom, of GOHSEP said.

Through the Shelter at Home program, a resident can be eligible for up to $15,000 in temporary repairs for their home to create a safe, secure, habitable place for the family to live while they continue their permanent home rebuilding.

Contractors and subcontractors involved in the program will perform initial work such as mucking out the house, basic electrical restoration, installing a basic water heater, removing wet wall insulation, and providing up to $500 in basic cooking or refrigerating appliances. This work will be provided at no out-of-pocket cost to the eligible homeowner. This assistance will not affect determination of any Individual Assistance grant from FEMA. 

Residents can check the status of their Shelter at Home application by calling 1-800-927-0216 and can find more information by going online to www.shelterathome.la.gov.