Reports - Mississippi Renewal

THE GOVERNOR’S COMMISSION REPORT | 73be widespread and will create roadblocksfor families trying to put theirlives back together. Families will beripe for predatory lending offers thatwill seem to provide easy outs. A majorinitiative will be needed to helparm families against this problem,involving credit counseling services,quality loan staff from banks andmortgage companies, housing counselors,community action agencies,Mississippi Cooperative ExtensionAgents, and FEMA’s UMCOR/VOAD contractors. A flexible andsophisticated assistance and advisorysystem should be established to helpthem head off trouble. The nucleusof this delivery system already existsin Mississippi.■ Providing “best practices” guidelinesfor various building technologiesdesigned to make homes safer andmore efficient.■ Reviewing design options that supportmore walkable, vibrant communities.This could include coordinationwith any established “designcenters,” as proposed in the LandUse section.The development of capacity to meetthis need would likely be initiated bythe state, but the institution may wellbe structured as a nonprofit entity andestablished in six to nine months.This recommendation will be fairlyexpensive to implement, as it requiresstaff support along with the developmentof outreach centers. It will beimportant to identify as many potentialsources of funding as possible, includingfederal programs and nonprofit foundations.Recommendation 31: Emerging ContractorsProgram. Currently, manysmall contractors are working in SouthMississippi with little experience inlarge-scale projects, and they will likelyhave difficulty competing for contractsagainst larger, more establishedfirms from outside the region. To enableCoast residents, including minority-and women-owned businesses, totake a more active role in the rebuildingprocess, it is appropriate to developa program for training local qualifiedcontractors to build quality affordablehousing. This near-term training effortwill be designed to develop local generalcontractors and provide individualswith basic construction skills. This programshould provide intensive, handsonmanagement training for small localcontractors that will help them growand enable them to bid for government-backedprojects. The state shouldorganize this effort, though it couldbe coordinated by a nonprofit entity.Branch training centers will be neededthroughout communities. Possible technicaland financial assistance for such aprogram could come from the Departmentof Commerce, the Small BusinessAdministration, or the NationalInstitute of Standards and Technology.These efforts should commence withinsix to nine months so local contractorscan begin to bid upon larger-scale redevelopmentprojects as they occur. Thiswill require a moderate level of funding,most likely to be provided by the stateor federal agencies.Recommendation 32: EnhancedBuilding Inspections Capacity. Becausethe number of housing units that needsto be rebuilt over a short time span farexceeds the prior level of constructionefforts within the state, it will be necessaryto create an improved capacity forbuilding code officials along the Coast.Possible responses include the creationof a “lend an official” program over theshort term along with securing funding“We don’t feelthis storm isgoing beatus. We won’tlet it beatus. We lovethe area toomuch; we’reboth bornand raisedhere. Andthat’s wherewe plan onstaying.”– Wesley Devers,Pascagoula.