The Housing and Community Development Department (HCD) recommends Council approval of an Ordinance authorizing a Substantial Amendment (Amendment) to the Houston Action Plan for Disaster Recovery – 2021 Winter Storm (Plan). This Amendment will: (1) increase the assistance amount in the Home Repair Program’s Reimbursement Pathway from $6,000.00 to $10,000.00, (2) streamline and clarify eligibility criteria for the Home Repair Program, (3) transfer $550,000.00 of Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery 2021 (CDBG-DR21) funds from the Rental Housing Counseling budget line item to the Neighborhood Facilities Resilience Program budget line item and (4) make other minor edits throughout the Plan for clarity.
The purpose of these changes is to meet homeowners' needs, align the Winter Storm Home Repair Program with other HCD home repair activities, and realign funds to effectively manage the CDBG-DR21 funds received from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
The chart below shows the changes in funding for the CDBG-DR21 Action Plan budget.
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Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery 2021 Budget Changes
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Budget Line Item Amended
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Budget Decrease
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Budget Increase
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Renter Housing Counseling
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($550,000.00)
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|
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Neighborhood Facilities Resilience Program
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$550,000.00
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TOTAL
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$550,000.00
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$550,000.00
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This is the First Amendment to this Plan and does not result in any change in the total funds awarded for the 2021 Winter Freeze.
In accordance with HUD’s regulations and the Citizen Participation Plan for Houston’s CDBG-DR21, the City is required to amend components of its Plan for a variety of reasons, including when there is a proposed change in program benefit or eligibility criteria or when an activity is deleted from the Plan. The 30-day public comment period for the Draft Action Plan Amendment extended from February 17, 2025, through March 19, 2025.
Fiscal Note:
No fiscal note is required for grant items.
This item was reviewed by the Housing and Affordability Committee on January 31, 2025.
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Michael Nichols, Director