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GUEST: Amy Liu, Deputy Director and Co-Founder, Metropolitan Policy Program, Brookings Institution; Author of various reports on Katrina, John Ellison, Attorney and Managing partner of the Anderson Kill & Olick law firm

A man calling himself Rene Oswin, and claiming to be assistant secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, claimed yesterday at a public meeting that his agency was changing course. He said, “Our charter here at HUD is to ensure access to affordable housing for those who need it the most… This past year in New Orleans, I am ashamed to say that we have clearly failed to do this.” It turned out that Rene Oswin was a member of The Yes Men, a guerilla group of political pranksters who impersonate government and corporate officials to expose their policies. Today we continue our focus on Katrina during our week long series, focusing on housing and other social services. The federal government has been battling affordable housing advocates over home demolition. Meanwhile, a heated battle between insurance companies and their policy holders continues. Thousands of insurance policy holders claim that that companies like State Farm and Allstate are cheating them out of billions of dollars in insurance money. Last Friday the Louisiana Supreme Court upheld two new Louisiana laws giving insurance policyholders a one year extension to sue their insurers or file claims over damage from hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

Amy Liu has authored the following reports on Katrina:

Building a Better New Orleans: A Review of and Plan for Progress One Year after Hurricane Katrina

The Katrina Index: Tracking Variables of Post-Katrina Recovery

Housing Families Displaced by Katrina: A Review of the Federal Response to Date

Federal Allocations in Response to Katrina, Rita and Wilma