Ellington

BILOXI, Miss. (AP) — The Mississippi Development Authority has added $40 million to the post-Katrina Neighborhood Home Program to reach eligible residents initially left off the list.

Under the program, contractors are repairing Katrina-damaged homes not covered by previous disaster assistance. Jon Mabry, chief operations officer of MDA's recovery division, told The Sun Herald (http://bit.ly/10xYDoX ) 1,200 to 1,400 households could be added. Under the program, he says, 2,400 homes have been repaired and 625 modular cottages permanently placed.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity recently cited MDA for failing to document various Neighborhood Home requirements involving low- to moderate-income residents and businesses that employ them.

Mabry says HUD's Community Development and Planning Office has been satisfied with the program's efforts.