In a unanimous decision, the San Diego County Board of Supervisors has green-lighted an extension to the Emergency Temporary Lodging Program for residents affected by the devastating flood this past January. The ruling, which came down Tuesday, has given almost 900 families six more critical weeks of housing security, pushing the program’s expiry date to June 21, as reported by NBC San Diego.

The decision includes injecting $9 million into the program, initially poised to wrap up on May 11. Displaced by the once-in-a-lifetime flood on January 22, families have relied on this program for lodging and sustenance, all awaiting assistance from larger entities like FEMA. Satellite news from the County News Center cited the funding as a stopgap measure. At the same time, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Individual Assistance Funds and Permanent Housing Solutions are being sorted out.

Adding to the wave of funding, the Board has also approved $4.6 million to be distributed amongst the San Diego Housing Commission, the National City Housing Authority, and the City of Oceanside Housing Authority. This additional financial aid is earmarked for helping the flood victims transition out of temporary digs and into more stable living conditions. The program kicked off on February 12 and has been the sole thread keeping these families tethered to hope in the aftermath of nature’s unforgiving wrath.