Politics & Government
Harris County Expected To Receive $1.1B For Harvey Recovery
Residents who live within Harris County but outside of the Houston city limits are potentially eligible for this funding.
HOUSTON, TX -- Harris County is expected to receive $1.1 billion of a $5.024 billion HUD Community Development Block Grant allocated to the State of Texas General Land Office following a series of steps attached to the funding process.
Residents who live within Harris County but outside of the Houston city limits are potentially eligible for this funding. The City of Houston is receiving a similar amount for residents within its city limits.
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Home repair, new construction, buyouts and relocation assistance are among the options included in the plan. Priority will be given to those still displaced as a result of Harvey and those in the Low to Moderate (LMI) income range.
The plan also addresses the shortage of affordable rental units available in Harris County, with an Affordable Rental Housing Program.
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The program has been designed to provide funds to purchase and rehabilitate Harvey impacted rental properties; and to fund the new construction of affordable multi-family housing projects.
“This is a great opportunity to improve whole communities, by restoring homes, adding affordable rental units, improving infrastructure and mitigating the effects of future floods,” said Daphne Lemelle, Director of Housing and Community Development, Harris County Community Services Department.A breakdown of the proposed expenditures are as follows:
- Harris County Homeowner Assistance Program ($211,000,000)
- Harris County Buyout and Acquisition Program ($200,000,000)
- Homeowner Reimbursement Program ($15,000,000)
- Homelessness Prevention Program ($7,500,000)
- Affordable Rental Program ($221,629,991)
- Harris County Single Family New Construction Program ($115,000,000)
- Local Infrastructure Program ($209,168,492)
- Local Planning ($55,769,342)
- Administrative Funds ($16,741,956)
For an in depth look at the plan, Harris County Draft Supplemental Action Plan is available for review at https://csd.harriscountytx.gov/Documents/DRAFT_Harris_County_Supplement_Action_Plan_06262018.pdf
The plan will be posted for 14 days, leading to a public hearing at on July 10th at Harris County Commissioner’s Court, 1001 Preston, 10 am.
Revisions will be made and sent to the General Land Office for another 14-day period for public comment and review, then on to HUD who could take up to 45 days before issuing final approval.
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