Individual Assistance (IA) is funding or direct assistance to individuals, families and businesses in an area whose property has been damaged or destroyed and whose losses are not covered by insurance. It is meant to help with critical expenses that cannot be covered in other ways. This assistance is intended to assist a community in restoring damaged property to as near its condition before the disaster as possible. Whenever feasible, efforts should be made to rebuild in a way that makes the community more disaster resistant, through mitigation activities.

While some housing assistance funds are available through FEMA’s Individuals and Households Program, most disaster assistance to individuals from the Federal government is in the form of loans administered by the Small Business Administration (SBA).