Louisiana Sen. A.G. Crowe confirmed Friday that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development will provide $20 million dollars of additional funding to be administered through the Louisiana Recovery Authority.

A portion of which will be available to help those who used tainted Chinese drywall to rebuild their homes.

Crowe had urged LRA Executive Director Paul Rainwater to negotiate with HUD months ago to release the additional money months ago, after legislation aimed at addressing the problem sputtered in the Louisiana legislature. After weeks of negotiation, Rainwater announced HUD’s decision in a conference call early Friday morning.

A bill was passed at the tail end of the legislative session in June, authorizing the LRA to distribute about $5 million for homeowners dealing with the defective material, that money is restricted to those who have already received Road Home assistance.

Crowe points out that this new pot of money will go to provide relief for others as well.

“It’s going to help three different groups of people,” said Crowe. “Those that already qualified, made their repairs, and ended up with Chinese drywall; those that qualified but exceeded the $150,000 cap; and people who never applied for Road Home in the first place.”

That was music to the ears of Slidell resident Shawn Macomber, who said his lawyer had instructed him to stop all demolition on his house.

“We had to go ahead and quickly buy another house, with the expectation that we’re going to be out of our home for at least six months,” said Macomber. “This is really great news, and I’m thrilled to hear it.”

Crowe pointed out that while the money will cover Chinese drywall issues, it is meant for redevelopment, reconstruction or rebuilding as well. He emphasizes that the first order of business will still be people who are even now in FEMA trailers, with or without drywall issues.

The LRA has already sent out a round of RFPs, or request for proposals, from nonprofit agencies and faith-based groups, who have until tomorrow to submit their bid. From there, LRA will review the bids, make a selection and set up a process to distribute the funds and make repairs through those agencies.

Crowe has encouraged residents who think they have the toxic wallboard and need assistance to send him an e-mail at ag@ag crowe.com.

He said he has already received some heartbreaking accounts.

“You should see some of the stories I’m getting,” said Crowe. “A single mother of two who doesn’t have air conditioning, for example. It’s awful.”

To learn more about possible signs of toxic Chinese drywall and related health issues, go to the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals Web site at www.dhh.la.gov, or visit the U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission at www.cpsc.gov.