Government
BY CASSANDRA JENKINS, EMILY LINCKE & KEVIN VU
Homebuyer aid program gets increased funding Houston officials approved an updated guideline for the Harvey Homebuyer Assistance program Jan. 15, allowing those impacted during Hurricane Harvey to purchase a home with city assistance. City Council unanimously approved the update for the $18 million program—what the city is calling HbAP 2.0—to provide funding to low-in- come, first-time homebuyers for down payment assistance, closing costs and principal buydown. What changed? The original program, approved by City Council on Jan. 9, 2019, offered up to $30,000 to income-qualified, first-time homebuyers. With the new program, the amount has increased to a range of $50,000 to $125,000 depending on the compliance period—the required number of years the property must be the homeowner’s primary residence—according to city documents.
County mandates power backups at assisted living, nursing facilities Under a new fire code, the roughly 120 assisted living and nursing facilities located in unincorpo- rated Harris County will have until Jan. 1, 2026 to add emergency backup power systems, county leaders announced Jan. 8. The overview Harris County is the first in Texas to implement this fire code, which is designed to keep vulnera- ble senior populations safe during emergencies, Fire Marshal Laurie Christensen said Jan. 8. Precinct 4 Commissioner Lesley Briones said the requirement for backup power systems will allow: • Safe facility temperatures to be maintained • Vital medical devices to be powered • Medications to be preserved
HUD allocates $314M for Beryl recovery The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced Jan. 7 that Houston will receive $314 million for disaster relief related to Hurricane Beryl and the May flood in 2024. What it means The funding is intended to support disas- ter relief and assist in long-term recovery in the most impacted areas. According to a news release, the funding can be used to: • Replace damaged affordable housing and build it back more resiliently • Strengthen infrastructure, including roadways, water systems and utilities • Support economic revitalization • Implement disaster mitigation measures for future weather and disaster events
County invests $10.1M in solar panel project Harris County is one step closer to launching a $10.1 million pilot project to install solar panels at libraries and commu- nity centers following a unanimous vote by Harris County Commissioners on Jan. 9. What’s happening? Harris County’s two-phase Distributed Energy Resources pilot aims to make county facilities “less reliant on the electricity grid” and more resistant to power outages during weather events, according to Jan. 9 meeting documents. The project calls for solar panels, battery storage and dual-port electric vehicle charging stations. Construction on Phase I of the energy pilot is slated to begin in January and wrap up by the first quarter of 2026.
The new fire code was approved following Winter Storm Uri and Hurricane Beryl—which induced widespread power outages—and resulted in:
Who qualifies?
A single parent who owned a marital home which is now owned by the former spouse An individual who has only owned a property that was not permanently affixed to a foundation An individual who has only owned a property that was not in compliance with local or state building codes An individual who is replacing a home that was lost during Hurricane Harvey
At least 1 senior death due to extreme heat during Hurricane Beryl 14 nursing homes and 30 assisted living facilities in Harris County losing power for several days during Hurricane Beryl 10% of nursing homes and nearly 33% of assisted living facilities across Texas losing power during Winter Storm Uri 100 senior deaths due to hypothermia in Texas during Winter Storm Uri
SOURCE: HOUSTON HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT/ COMMUNITY IMPACT
Houston Housing Director Mike Nichols said the new program is expected to assist 200 households. Next steps Ariel Buford, a public information officer for the Housing and Community Development Department, said in an email that the department anticipates the program starting in late February, shortly after a contract amendment is finalized with the Texas General Land Office.
SOURCE: HARRIS COUNTY PRECINCT 4/COMMUNITY IMPACT
• Emergency communications to be made • Evacuations to be safer
Facilities will be given one year to get into com- pliance with the new fire code, and county leaders plan to provide guidance and support during the transition, Briones said.
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