DECATUR -- Evacuees who have settled into hotels in the metro Atlanta area after fleeing Hurricane Katrina will have to find permanent housing as federal officials will no longer foot their lodging bills.

Officials at the Federal Emergency Management Agency have said they will stop paying the hotel bills for those living in hotels come Dec. 1. An exception has been granted for those living in Louisiana and Mississippi because of a shortage of housing in those areas.

Thousands of evacuees from the Gulf Coast are staying in hotel rooms in Georgia and Texas, but they will have to find other accommodations in about two weeks.

At the federal Housing and Urban Development office in DeKalb County, several evacuees sought help Thursday at the agency, but were given little assistance.

"It's stressful," said evacuee Crystal Stanton. "It's cold out here and we have until the 31st, and FEMA is going to put us out on the street."

Many of the people who sought help at the DeKalb office had not been receiving any public assistance when they lived in New Orleans. The residents said they paid their rent without government help.

Because the residents were helping themselves, officials at the regional HUD office said there was little the federal housing agency could do for them because those who were receiving housing assistance will take priority.

"We are able to help those who were in subsidized housing in their previous city," a HUD spokeswoman said.

Officials at the DeKalb housing agency said they have found housing for over 4,000 families since the storm occurred.

Channel 2 Action News reporter Jeff Dore contributed to this report.