Special to The News

AUSTIN — Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush announced Tuesday the locations of Homeowner Reimbursement Program regional offices in advance of the application release. The application will be released at 8 a.m. Thursday, available online and in person at the regional offices.

“Hurricane Harvey damaged thousands of homes and devastated the livelihoods of countless Texans,” Bush said. “In advance of the application being released, the GLO is proud to announce the locations of several regional Homeowner Reimbursement Program offices that will welcome potential applicants and personally help with the process. The same day that applications will be available online, applicants will also be able to fill out an application in person.”

In Jefferson County, the lone regional office will be located at the South East Texas Homeowner Reimbursement Program Regional Office, 505 Orleans St., Suite 100, Beaumont.

An additional intake center will be located at Port Arthur Economic Development Corp., 501 Procter St., Port Arthur. The office will be open from 9-4, Tuesday through Thursday.

The Texas General Land Office allocated $100 million in Community Development Block Grants for Disaster Recovery funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to reimburse homeowners up to $50,000 for certain out-of-pocket expenses incurred for repairs to their Hurricane Harvey damaged home. Eligible reimbursements will include reconstruction, rehabilitation or mitigation.

Additional satellite offices and application intake locations will be available in each county with variable office hours to be based on need. All locations with current hours of availability will be posted on Recovery.Texas.gov/HRP. For additional assistance, interested applicants can email cdr@recovery.texas.gov or call 1-844-893-8937.

To be eligible for this reimbursement program, HUD says:

• The home must be the owner’s primary residence.
• The homeowner must be able to provide proof of damage from Hurricane Harvey.
• The homeowner must be able to provide receipts and/or invoices for eligible repairs.
• Eligible repairs must have been completed prior to the application launch date of Feb. 28. Applications are anticipated to outnumber available funds, so apply quickly!

Additional criteria may apply.

In accordance with HUD requirements, homeowners are not eligible if:

• The home is in a 100-year floodplain, was substantially damaged and is not at least 2 feet above the base elevation.
• The home is in a 100-year floodplain, and the household income is greater than 120 percent area median income and homeowner did not have flood insurance on Aug. 24, 2017.
• Homeowner received prior disaster relief assistance for home located in a 100-year floodplain and did not maintain flood insurance.
• The home is in a floodway, which is an area designed to flood.
• The home may also not be eligible if there is lead-based paint that was not remediated.

Households that meet the low- to moderate-income threshold will receive prioritized application processing for the first 30 days, but all homeowners are encouraged to apply immediately. Non-LMI households will be considered for eligibility in order of application submission.

Potential applicants should review the Homeowner Reimbursement Program Checklist and visit Recovery.Texas.gov/HRP to have all applicable documents ready prior to applying. Applicants will be able to submit all their application material electronically and the GLO’s program team will assist households that cannot submit electronic applications. Potential applicants can also find in-person assistance at regional Homeowner Reimbursement Program offices serving their area.

Potential applicants can review the Homeowner Reimbursement Program Checklist to have all applicable documents ready prior to applying. After 8 a.m. Feb. 28, interested homeowners will be able to apply online or download a printable version of the application at Recovery.Texas.gov/HRP. Applicants will be able to submit all application materials online and the GLO’s program team will assist households that cannot submit electronic applications.

In-person assistance will be available at the Regional Homeowner Reimbursement Program offices across the affected area, or by emailing cdr@recovery.texas.gov or calling 1-844-893-8937.