Houston Mayor Shifts Focus to Housing with $50 Million in Federal Aid
Houston Mayor John Whitmire has announced a plan to allocate $50 million in federal disaster relief aid towards housing, a significant shift from the city’s initial plan to focus on backup power generation and public safety needs. This decision comes after a series of public engagement meetings, where residents expressed their concerns and needs.
Background on the Disaster Relief Aid
The $50 million will come from a $315 million community development block grant (CDBG) provided by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). This grant aims to help Houston recover from last year’s Hurricane Beryl, a derecho windstorm, and a flooding event in Kingwood, which damaged nearly 4,000 homes.
The Initial Plan and the Change
Initially, the city planned to allocate none of the HUD block grant towards housing. However, after considering feedback from public meetings, Mayor Whitmire decided to steer $50 million towards housing, with $30 million going towards multifamily housing and $20 million towards home repairs. The city will need to get approval from HUD for this new plan.
Public Reaction to the Plan
While the new plan is a step in the right direction, many public speakers felt that it did not go far enough. Doris Brown, co-founder of the Northeast Action Collective, pointed out that the unmet needs for housing recovery exceed $200 million, and that the CDBG plan should allocate at least $100 million towards housing. Udavine Sampson Barnes of The Metropolitan Organization (TMO) also argued that the plan fell short but appreciated the effort to address the issue.
Calls for More Funding
Stephanie Valdez of the Coalition for the Environment, Equity, and Resilience, whose family’s home is still damaged from Hurricane Beryl, specified that the unmet need for housing is $229 million. She suggested that an additional $50 million could be reallocated from the policing budget towards housing. This call for more funding highlights the ongoing struggle of many Houston residents to recover from the disasters.
Conclusion
The decision to allocate $50 million in federal aid towards housing is a positive step towards addressing the needs of Houston residents affected by last year’s disasters. However, it is clear that more needs to be done to fully address the unmet needs for housing recovery. As the city moves forward with its plan, it will be important to continue listening to the concerns of residents and exploring ways to provide additional support. By working together, Houston can build a more resilient and safer community for all.
