FEMA Opens 3 Service Centers : Aftermath: Agency closes 6 disaster relief facilities as it shifts focus from registering quake victims to processing applications.

As earthquake relief efforts shift from registering victims to processing applications, officials with the Federal Emergency Management Agency Monday closed six more disaster relief centers and replaced them with three new Earthquake Service Centers.

Meanwhile, hundreds of people who received temporary rental-assistance certificates following the Northridge quake--but have not yet found new housing--face losing those vouchers if their original apartments have been repaired and are now habitable.

According to federal Housing and Urban Development officials, 17,622 housing certificates had been issued as of Monday morning. Of those, only 3,792 have contracts approved, with another 4,757 awaiting approval. That means that 9,073 certificates, more than half those issued, are in the hands of people who have yet to find new homes.

HUD officials do not know how many of those outstanding certificates are held by people whose homes may now be habitable, but in Santa Monica about 400 certificates have been canceled.

Santa Monica, which initially reported giving preliminary approval for use of 1,220 certificates, now says about 400 recipients either have not appeared for follow-up interviews or were tenants in buildings that have been declared habitable.

“If someone with a certificate has not yet made a commitment for a new unit and their old building is now green-tagged, their certificate will likely be canceled,” said Steve Wagner, Section 8 coordinator for Santa Monica’s Housing Authority. “We are trying to help people, but we want to make sure we spend taxpayers’ money properly.”

However, Wagner noted that Santa Monica may be unusual because many people may prefer to give up certificates to return to their old buildings to remain in Santa Monica, which because of rent control affords many people low-cost housing near the beach.

Wagner said that he expects about 100 of 725 people with certificates to find housing in Santa Monica due to the lack of rental units. The others will have to seek apartments outside the city. He said he also expects about 100 more certificates to be canceled, both because the holders do not complete follow-up procedures or because their original housing will become habitable.

FEMA officials are gradually closing Disaster Assistance Centers as the number of people registering for help continues to dwindle.

Monday, FEMA closed assistance centers in Winnetka, Northridge, Pacoima, San Fernando, Sylmar and Fillmore. Monday afternoon, FEMA opened service centers at 20525 Nordhoff St. in Chatsworth, 13750 Foothill Blvd. in Sylmar and 1058 Ventura St. in Fillmore. On Feb. 19, FEMA opened its first two service centers in Valencia and Santa Monica.

The agency plans to open service centers on Wednesday at Cal State Northridge and in Simi Valley. Additional centers are planned for Sherman Oaks, Reseda/Van Nuys, South-Central Los Angeles and Mid-Wilshire. They are expected to open within a week.

The centers, which will be open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., will continue to register applicants for disaster assistance and provide follow-up services to those who already have registered at an assistance center or by telephone.

Eventually all of the assistance centers will be closed and their functions moved to earthquake service centers, which provide long-term disaster recovery aid and information to the public.

As of Monday morning, 392,992 people had registered by phone or in person at one of the one-stop centers that allow quake victims to fill out applications with various federal, state and local agencies. Nearly $455 million has been awarded in grants and loans.

More than 291,000 people have applied for emergency housing assistance, but as of Monday only 124,848 had been found eligible. Grants totaling more than $297 million have been awarded.

The Small Business Administration, which provides low-interest loans to homeowners and businesses, has sent out 225,456 applications to homeowners. More than 51,000 have been returned, with 4,786 of those approved for loans totaling more than $141 million. More than 73,000 applications have been sent to business owners and 8,668 returned. SBA has approved 326 applications and disbursed nearly $16 million in loans.

More than 124,000 people have been referred to the Individual and Family Grant Program, a last-resort agency for victims who do not qualify for other assistance. Because it deals with victims who must exhaust other assistance, the program has only begun processing 19,936 applications and had approved only 2,042 as of Monday morning. That represents a commitment of more than $2.5 million.

J. Shawn Ortiz, deputy administrator for southern operations for the IFGP, said it may be a year before all applications are processed.

“IFGP was never designed as an immediate-needs program,” Ortiz said. “We beg the people to grant us some patience.”

In a related development, the American Red Cross moved its “Super” service center from the parking lot of the Northridge Fashion Center to the Winnetka Recreation Center, utilizing the space vacated by FEMA.

The Red Cross--which is helping victims replace personal property such as occupational tools, clothing and furniture--has processed 29,432 cases and awarded vouchers worth $14.3 million. The Red Cross expects its total quake relief effort, including shelters, to exceed $36 million.

Quake Relief Centers Opened Six FEMA Disaster Assistance Centers closed on Monday. Three new Earthquake Service Centers, two in San Fernando Valley and one in Fillmore, opened in the afternoon. These centers were preceded by the opening of the Valencia center, at 28460 Stanford Ave., on Feb. 19 and one in Santa Monica.