Today Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush proudly announced the Texas General Land Office (GLO) has completely rebuilt more than 3,000 homes for Texas families through the Homeowner Assistance Program. This achievement marks an important milestone in a program that is anticipated to rebuild more than 6,000 homes using $1.334 billion in available Community Development Block Grants for Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR), plus an additional $500 million in Community Development Block Grants for Mitigation (CDBG-MIT), funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Approximately 4,700 applicants have been approved for assistance by the GLO and approximately 450 homes are currently under construction in addition to those completed.
"Every day the GLO's disaster recovery team works to help Texas families rebuild their homes and their lives from repetitive flooding and destructive storms," said Commissioner George P. Bush. "Today we celebrate a significant achievement in helping more than 3,000 coastal Texas families return to safe, comfortable homes. The GLO is proud to be setting a record pace in disaster recovery while helping thousands of Texas families rebuild their lives and their homes."
Hurricane Harvey Reimbursement Program
Earlier this year the GLO successfully concluded the Hurricane Harvey Homeowner Reimbursement Program (HRP) with nearly 3,000 Texans approved for just shy of $86 million in out-of-pocket expenses for eligible repairs to storm damaged primary residences. The GLO directly administered the HRP and HAP for homeowners across 48 counties impacted by Hurricane Harvey.
Hurricane Harvey Affordable Rental Program
The GLO is also helping renters in the Hurricane Harvey impacted counties by administering $588 million to rehabilitate, reconstruct and construct 82 affordable multifamily developments, or 6,002 units, damaged or destroyed by Hurricane Harvey in 48 eligible counties. The Multifamily Affordable Rental Program is improving local housing inventory and ensure low income citizens and families have safe, habitable, and affordable places to live. To be considered for funding, at least 51% of the units must be designated for low- to moderate-income families with rents capped at HUD's HOME Investment Partnerships Program (HOME) limits. A family is considered low- to moderate-income if they earn 80% or less than the Area Median Family Income (AMFI). Of the 6,002 affordable rental units being repaired or reconstructed, 4,743 will be guaranteed for low- to moderate-income renters. Each apartment complex will be restricted for low income housing for 20 years after completion of new construction and 15 years after completion of repairs.
2018/2019 Programs Underway
On April 26, the GLO kicked-off of the application for the Homeowner Assistance and Reimbursement Programs (HARP) now available in all eligible counties affected by flooding events in South Texas and the Rio Grande Valley in 2018 and 2019, as well as Tropical Storm Imelda in 2019. The Texas General Land Office (GLO) allocated $137.8 million of CDBG-DR funds for repair or reconstruction of owner-occupied single-family homes and reimbursement up to $50,000 for certain out-of-pocket expenses incurred for reconstruction, rehabilitation, or mitigation. Repayment of SBA loans is also eligible for reimbursement. Interested homeowners should visit recovery.texas.gov/harp to find more information, apply online or download a printable version of the application.
On April 30, the GLO kicked-off of the application process for the 2018/2019 Affordable Rental Program. Applications are currently being accepted for nearly $40 million in available Community Development Block Grants for Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) to help rehabilitate and reconstruct multifamily rental homes damaged by severe flooding in 2018 and 2019 as well as Tropical Storm Imelda. Projects in eleven counties in South Texas and the Lower Rio Grande Valley in Southeast Texas are eligible to apply. The applications and more information can be found at recovery.texas.gov/arp.