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From Community Impact

More than $909 million of federal funds was accepted by the Harris County Commissioners  at a Jan. 29 meeting. The money will go to aid in the rebuilding and repair of homes damaged during Hurricane Harvey. Funds will also be dispersed to  to reimburse homeowners who made repairs out of pocket. The court said the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) will distribute the funds over the next few months.

Qualifying homeowners are considered for funding after they submit an applicationonline at www.harrisrecovery.org. There will be six housing programs that will receive funds, including:

  • A housing assistance program, including home repairs and rebuilds for housing that was damaged during Harvey
  • A reimbursement program providing reimbursements of up to $50,000 for homeowners who spent money out of pocket and have not already been reimbursed through the Federal Emergency Management Agency or through insurance
  • A buyout program providing home buyout funds for low-income homeowners
  • An affordable rental program that involves working with developers and apartment owners to rehabilitate damaged apartments and build new affordable apartments throughout the county, specifically in places heavily affected by Harvey
  • An affordable construction program that involves partnering with the Harris County Engineering Department on creating more affordable housing, specifically single-family owner-occupied housing
  • A planning program the involves conducting a comprehensive affordable housing study to find out where more affordable housing is needed in the county