HORSE SHITE*!

Horses, Baton Rouge LA 2006 from Baton Rouge Blues

All reproduction rights reserved Wm. Greiner

The Road Home program will lay off 550 employees and shut down two housing assistance centers as part of an effort to best utilize funding. ICF International, which administers the federally funded program that helps people who lost their houses in hurricanes Katrina and Rita, announced this afternoon the layoffs would take place Sept. 13. Housing assistance centers in Baton Rouge, New Orleans, Kenner and Lake Charles will remain open, but the centers in Chalmette and Harvey will close. ICF says most homeowners have received their housing grants, and the layoffs will not impact the company's ability to process applications.

ICF's announcement came after the Louisiana Recovery Authority announced it was fining the company more than $1 million for failing to meet performance benchmarks. ICF was fined $692,500 for failing to close 116,000 cases by June 30; the amount was $500 for each closing it did not hold. ICF was also fined nearly $357,000 for failing to meet performance metrics. The state is reviewing to see if ICF met other goals; additional penalties could be forthcoming.

News Alert: Road Home program to lay off 550; ICF fined more than $1 million

Daily Report by the businessreport.com July 15 , 2008

*a very british and therefore great way of saying shit. shite sounds much more effective than shit