Chapter 7 › XIII.O.2.ii Non-Congregate Sheltering

Can we shelter people in hotels, dorms or trailers?

FEMA term

Non-congregate sheltering (NCS)

Short answer

Yes, in limited, exigent circumstances. Hotels, motels, dormitories and retreat camps don’t need pre-approval; anything else, such as RVs, short-term rentals or ships, needs FEMA Headquarters approval first. FEMA pays a per-night, per-room amount.

What FEMA requires

Notify FEMA Headquarters and your Regional Administrator through the recipient within 5 days of starting NCS (or 5 days after the declaration if you started earlier).
Requests for non-traditional facilities need a justification, whether Transitional Sheltering Assistance was requested, the options with costs, and the timeframe.
Feeding and support services are generally limited to the first 30 days.
Not eligible: à la carte charges, unoccupied rooms or units, damage beyond the nightly rate at traditional facilities, and case management or behavioral health services.
Survivors’ homeowners insurance with living-expense coverage is not a duplication of benefits.
Extensions come in 30-day increments; ask at least 7 days before expiration. The Regional Administrator can approve up to 6 months from the declaration; FEMA Headquarters approves beyond that.

<table class="pt-table"><thead><tr><th>After 30 days, each household must</th><th>Notes</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Be in a county designated for both Individual Assistance and Public Assistance</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Be registered with Individual Assistance and not have withdrawn</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Document pre-disaster status as owner or renter of the primary residence</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Have a primary residence that is uninhabitable or inaccessible because of the incident</td><td>Habitability can be based on IA data, home assessments or your own documented process</td></tr></tbody></table>

Documentation

A weekly data report through the recipient, with registration IDs, household contacts, counts by county, damaged dwelling addresses, habitability status, rooms occupied, check-in and check-out dates and shelter sites.

Watch out · Govstar practitioner advice

Start the weekly household data report in week one. Without it, extensions beyond 30 days are denied.

Govstar summarizes FEMA’s Public Assistance Program and Policy Guide in plain language and links to the official text. Govstar is independent and not affiliated with FEMA. This is general guidance, not legal advice.