ORDINANCE approving and authorizing first amendment to grant agreement between the City of Houston and the WOMEN’S HOME for Construction of a Social Service Facility located in the vicinity of  1905 Jacquelyn Street and 1838 Johanna Drive, Houston, Texas, to serve homeless and low-income individuals and families, to consent to lease transactions and subordination of the City’s lien in order to accommodate commercially funded new market tax credit financing whose proceeds will supplement the previously approved City grant - DISTRICT A - STARDIG

In August 2015, Council approved a contract between the City and The Women’s Home to provide $1,630,000 in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds for the construction of a social services center to serve homeless and low-income individuals and families in the Spring Branch area. The Housing and Community Development Department requests Council amend the contract to allow the use of New Market Tax Credits (NMTC) in financing the construction.  The proceeds from the NMTC will supplement the previously approved $1,630,000 in CDBG funds to construct the 30,852-square-foot social service center at 1905 Jacquelyn Drive and a surface parking lot at 1838 Johanna Drive.

The service center will provide services in three key areas: physical/behavioral health, after-school and summer programs for elementary and middle school children, and adult education/workforce development. These services were identified through an independent community assessment process and by potential partners and providers.

The new service center will consist of the following major exponents:

• 4,000 sq. ft. Federally Qualified Health Clinic (FQHC) - a satellite health clinic  of Spring Branch Community Health Center
• 2,400 sq. ft. for behavioral health/prevention education
• 1,400 sq. ft. for computer labs
• 9,200 sq. ft. for after-school care for low-income students
• 4,800 sq. ft. for adult education/workforce development
• 4,482 sq. ft. for miscellaneous (restrooms, offices, reception/check-in)

The total project budget is approximately $9,328,083, of which $2,335,123 will be proceeds from NMTC.

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Tom McCasland, Interim Director

Roxanne Lawson

Phone: 832-394-6282