The Housing and Community Development Department (HCD) recommends Council approval of an Ordinance authorizing a First Amendment to the Subrecipient Agreement between the City of Houston (City) and SEARCH Homeless Services (SEARCH) to provide an additional $247,861.72 in Emergency Solutions Grant – Rapid Unsheltered Survivor Housing, Second Allocation (ESG-RUSH-2), Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG), and Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds for the continued operation of a rapid re-housing case management and rental assistance program for an additional to eight (8) households. Through this program, a total of forty-eight (48) households will be served.
ESG-RUSH-2 funding is a special ESG grant administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for areas that are identified as eligible for Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Individual Assistance when a “major disaster” is declared under the Stafford Act to address the needs of individuals and families who are experiencing homelessness or are at-risk of homelessness in a declared disaster area and have needs unmet by existing federal disaster relief programs. HUD awarded the City ESG-RUSH-2 funding in response to FEMA DR-4781-TX Texas Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding and FEMA DR-4798-TX Texas Hurricane Beryl.
SEARCH will quickly move people impacted by the recent disasters who are experiencing homelessness in the Downtown Houston area into permanent housing by providing rental assistance and housing-stability case management services.
|
CATEGORY
|
CDBG
|
ESG
|
ESG-RUSH-2
|
TOTAL
|
PERCENT
|
|
Program
|
$0.00
|
$34,005.57
|
$178,856.15
|
$212,861.72
|
85.88%
|
|
Administration
|
$35,000.00
|
$0.00
|
$0.00
|
$35,000.00
|
14.12%
|
|
Total
|
$35,000.00
|
$34,005.57
|
$178,856.15
|
$247,861.72
|
100.00%
|
In March 2025, in partnership with Harris County and the Coalition for the Homeless of Houston/Harris County, the City invited organizations to submit proposals under a Request for Expression of Interest (REI). SEARCH Homeless Services was one of the agencies that responded and was selected from the applicants that proposed rapid re-housing activities.
The initial agreement period from April 23, 2025 - April 30, 2026, will not change. There were no findings or concerns in the most recent compliance monitoring. SEARCH Homeless Services has received funding from the City of Houston since 1996.
This item was reviewed by the joint Quality of Life/Housing and Affordability Committees meeting on June 16, 2025.
Fiscal Note:
No fiscal note is required for grant items.
___________________________________________
Michael C. Nichols, Director