DES MOINES – Evacuees of Hurricane Katrina who moved to Iowa after the storm could face a new housing crunch following the cancellation of a federal program.

The Katrina Disaster Housing Assistance Program provided nearly 90 percent of Cotrina McIntyre’s rent in Des Moines – just as it did for dozens of other evacuees in Iowa and throughout the country.

By the end of the month, however, the program will be eliminated, despite evacuees being told the program would last up to 18 months after the storm.

In KDHAP’s place, a program run by the Department of Housing and Urban Development will provide financial assistance to relocated Katrina victims. But evacuees are concerned that the Disaster Voucher Program will provide less support and be a temporary solution.

“We’re skeptical about jumping from program to program,” said McIntyre, 30, who lives with her husband in Des Moines. “Our lives are still in limbo. When we first came here we didn’t have a home, and we could be in the same situation.”

Under KDHAP, evacuees were helped based on fair market rent. Under the new program, the amount of assistance they receive will be based on several factors, including apartment size.

One evacuated family living in Des Moines, for example, was paying $23 per month before KDHAP was eliminated and would pay $49 per month under the new system, while another would go from paying no rent to $76 per month.

McIntyre, who received federal assistance through HUD before Hurricane Katrina hit, is considering switching back to non-Katrina related vouchers, although the previous program will provide less financial assistance. Evacuees must make their decision by Tuesday.

McIntyre said stability, particularly as she and her family recover from Katrina, will be a primary factor in her decision.

Local officials say they are doing all they can to ease concerns about the end KDHAP. Chris Johansen, the director of Des Moines’ Housing Services Department, said he and other city employees are working with evacuees to determine the best option.

“We totally understand their concern,” said Johansen, whose department held a meeting Wednesday with evacuees in Des Moines. “They have some uncertainty.”

Johansen also said there was little he could do to assuage concerns that the newest federal program will also only provide temporary relief. He said he is waiting for word from federal officials.

Three families in Des Moines and hundreds more throughout the country could be affected by the elimination of KDHAP.

Besides providing less financial support, the new program also requires approval from evacuees’ landlords. If they do not accept the changes, evacuees could be forced to relocate again.

McIntyre says moving again is not an option. Before Katrina struck, she spent her whole life in New Orleans and has found new friends since moving to Des Moines.

She said she owes much of her post-Katrina life to the kindness of Iowans – including her wedding to her husband, the costs of which were donated by several Iowans. Since moving here, she and her husband have found jobs and begun saving money.