AUSTIN — Today Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham, M.D., announced the Texas General Land Office (GLO) approved more than $41 million in disaster recovery funds to rehabilitate, repair and construct 11 federally eligible affordable rental developments damaged by the 2018 South Texas Floods, the 2019 Lower Rio Grande Valley Flood and Tropical Storm Imelda. In total, 832 rental homes are being rebuilt or newly constructed and more than 86% of all units are guaranteed to house low- to moderate-income renters.

“Consecutive disasters in Southeast Texas and the Rio Grande Valley damaged affordable housing and left renters with few options after the storms,” said Commissioner Buckingham. “Developments like these are vital to rebuild our communities and give our first responders, teachers, and workforce safe, resilient, and beautiful homes, thanks to the hard work of our team at the General Land Office.”

The GLO allocated $41,660,000 of Community Development Block Grant - Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for the 2018/2019 Disasters Affordable Rental Program (ARP) in Cameron, Chambers, Harris, Hidalgo, Jefferson, Jim Wells, Liberty, Montgomery, Orange, San Jacinto, and Willacy counties. The program provides up to $5 million in reimbursement of eligible hard construction costs for the rehabilitation, reconstruction, and new construction of affordable multifamily housing developments.

No other state or territory has performed like Texas in the recovery from Hurricane Harvey. Because of the fantastic team at the General Land Office, Texas has distributed nearly $1 billion more disaster recovery dollars to real people and families in need than Florida, Puerto Rico, California, Georgia, Missouri, and the Virgin Islands combined. The General Land Office has proven to be the most efficient distributor of these funds and must continue to lead recovery efforts in our state. The GLO has rebuilt more than 10,000 homes for homeowners and renters in Texas.

Texas GLO 2018/2019 Disasters Affordable Rental Program

The Texas General Land Office (GLO) is administering more than $300 million in Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for long-term disaster recovery from significant flooding from the 2018 South Texas Floods, Tropical Storm Imelda, and the 2019 Lower Rio Grande Valley Flood. The GLO allocated $41,660,000 in disaster recovery funds to rehabilitate, reconstruct, and construct multifamily affordable housing units. The GLO began accepting applications May 1, 2021, and applications closed on June 30, 2021. Projects were evaluated and scored via a competitive points-based system and were awarded based on several factors including number of low- to moderate-income units and construction type with a $5 million maximum award. In this program, applicants for the funding are required to designate at least 51% of the units for low- to moderate-income families with rents capped at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Home Investment Partnership (HOME) limits. Per HUD guidelines, a family is considered low- to moderate-income if they earn 80% or less than the Area Median Family Income (AMFI). 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.

For more information, please visit https://recovery.texas.gov/2018-floods-2019-disasters/programs/2018-2019-affordable-rental/index.html.

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