Today the Texas General Land Office's (GLO) announced the Homeowner Assistance Program's (HAP) successful efforts to rebuild homes is bringing the application process to a quick conclusion. All potential applicants must submit completed applications by December 31, 2019, to be considered for eligibility pending funding availability. Thus far the GLO has approved more than 1,700 applications for construction, with 640 homes currently under construction and 286 completed with keys in the hands of homeowners. The GLO continues processing completed applications with the expectation of rebuilding between 6,000-7,000 homes for those needing assistance with available funds.
"The GLO's massively successful Homeowner Assistance Program is helping thousands of Texans who are still in need of help to rebuild their homes and their lives," said GLO spokesperson Brittany Eck. "The GLO allocated more than a billion dollars to the Homeowner Assistance Program, but these funds are quickly running out. While some HAP teams are helping get folks across 48 counties reach eligibility for this critical assistance, others are conducting site inspections and getting construction moving forward to bring folks home. We are proud to be setting a record pace towards helping thousands of Texas families rebuild their homes and their lives."
In several counties, applications being processed for eligibility already outnumber available funds, but funds remain available in many areas. HAP continues to take wait list applications in oversubscribed counties in anticipation of additional housing recovery funding becoming available. Wait-listed applications will be reviewed for eligibility in the order received based on their submission date, should additional funding be approved. There are more than 3,700 households who started an application, but not yet completed submission. These applicants cannot not be considered for assistance unless they complete the process by December 31, 2019, and meet eligibility criteria, providing there is sufficient funding available based on their submission date.
The Homeowner Assistance Program has an available funding balance in the following 31 counties:
" align="none">| Austin | Bastrop | Brazoria | Burleson |
| Caldwell | Chambers | Colorado | Comal |
| Fayette | Fort Bend | Galveston | Grimes |
| Guadalupe | Jasper | Karnes | Lee |
| Liberty | Madison | Matagorda | Milam |
| Montgomery | Newton | Polk | Sabine |
| San Augustine | San Jacinto | Tyler | Walker |
| Waller | Washington | Wharton |
The Homeowner Assistance Program has more applications than funds available in the following 17 counties and is currently taking waitlisted applications in expectation of additional funds becoming available:
|
Aransas |
Bee | Calhoun | DeWitt |
| Goliad | Gonzales | Hardin | Jackson |
| Jefferson | Jim Wells | Kleberg | Lavaca |
| Nueces | Orange | Refugio | San Patricio |
| Victoria |
|
The HAP regional offices will remain open and homeowners can continue to submit applications until December 31, 2019, at 5:00 p.m. Submitting a complete application does not guarantee eligibility nor funding availability, but applicants must submit a complete application by the deadline to be potentially considered for assistance. Homeowners in all eligible counties can also submit an application online or in-person at one of the program's Homeowner Assistance Centers.
The GLO allocated $1.334 billion in U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) Community Development Block Grants for Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funding for rehabilitation and reconstruction of thousands of owner-occupied single-family homes in 48 counties that were damaged by Hurricane Harvey. Homeowners in Harris County and the city of Houston can apply for similar programs funded by direct allocations. Individuals affected by Hurricane Harvey may qualify for assistance through the Texas Homeowner Assistance Program if they owned their home, it was damaged or destroyed by Hurricane Harvey and it was their primary residence at the time of the storm, among other eligibility factors. The program offers qualified homeowners assistance to repair, rehabilitate or rebuild homes damaged by Hurricane Harvey. Applications will be considered for award on a first come, first served basis, according to the priorities outlined in the Regional Housing Guidelines.
Potential applicants should review the Homeowner Assistance Program Checklist to have all applicable documents ready prior to applying. Interested homeowners should visit recovery.texas.gov/hap to apply. Homeowners in the City of Houston or Harris County should apply for repair assistance through programs being administered by direct allocations at the loc