Housing Program for Ike, Gustav Victims Ends

A federal program that provided temporary housing assistance to nearly 20,000 families displaced by two 2008 hurricanes has come to an end.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development said 3,500 households affected by hurricanes Ike and Gustav were still enrolled in its rental assistance program when it ended Tuesday.

The department said it will provide $28 million to help find permanent housing for those residents, most of who live in Texas and south Louisiana.

The program originally was designed to last 17 months, but federal officials extended it several times.