WASHINGTON — Texas will receive $5 billion in federal housing aid to help residents recover from Hurricane Harvey.
The grant, announced Monday by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, will flow through the Texas General Land Office and its State Action Plan. Some $2.3 billion will be directed to Houston and Harris County — the area most affected — while the remaining $2.7 billion will fund land office programs to aid other parts of Texas devastated by the storm 10 months ago.
The largest sum — just over $1 billion — will help homeowners with rehabilitation and reconstruction. Another $100 million will reimburse homeowners for up to $50,000 of repairs. The grant also includes $275 million for homeowners to sell their homes to the government.
Another $250 million will fund the construction and rehabilitation of affordable multi-family rental units for those who are not homeowners. About $413 million is dedicated to infrastructure repairs, with another $100 million for small business loans and $375 million for studies on how to mitigate future disasters.
With the approval from HUD, Texans will soon be able to apply for help. The state land office is in the process of developing a marketing strategy and application forms, to be distributed in coming weeks, spokeswoman Brittany Eck said.
“The GLO is committed to its mission to expedite federal housing recovery assistance as quickly as possible to help those affected by Hurricane Harvey,” Land Commissioner George P. Bush said in a statement. “Due to the GLO's pre-planning and preparation, these federal recovery funds will be in the hands of Texans faster than in previous disasters.”
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