TSA Participants Should Talk to Hotels About Holiday Availability

As the holidays approach, local hotels currently sheltering Transitional Sheltering Assistance (TSA) participants may not have availability to continue to accommodate some TSA families due to existing Christmas and New Year’s reservations. As such, some TSA families might need to find alternative accommodation in other area with participating hotels and motels.

FEMA and the state of North Carolina urges checked in TSA families to talk to the hotel front desk staff now regarding extending their reservation during peak holiday season. If unable to extend, FEMA may assist in finding new room in other participating TSA lodging facilities. You may also use the hotel locator Transitional Sheltering Assistance (TSA).

A request to check out of your current hotel due to availability does not impact eligibility for TSA. TSA is intended to provide shelter while households identify other housing solutions or make repairs to their home.  

TSA is a temporary program intended to provide short-term lodging for eligible disaster survivors whose residence is uninhabitable or inaccessible because of the disaster. At the request of the state, FEMA provides TSA to eligible disaster survivors who register for assistance and have a continuing need for shelter. Through TSA, FEMA pays directly to participating hotels and motels to cover the cost of room, taxes, and non-refundable pet fees to provide short-term accommodations for eligible disaster survivors. 

To date, approximately 10,000 households have used TSA at participating hotels, with more than 4,950 households transitioning to suitable longer-term housing.  As of Dec. 10, 4,990 households remained in hotels.

Disaster survivors seeking information regarding participating TSA hotels can visit DisasterAssistance.gov.

You must have a FEMA application number and approval from FEMA to participate in the TSA program. You may also call the FEMA Helpline at 1-800-621-3362 or visit a Disaster Recovery Center for additional TSA information.

Applicants are encouraged to maintain contact with the state, voluntary agencies, local organizations, long-term recovery groups and other partners to find suitable housing.