Special to The News

Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush announced Wednesday that $45,980,638 in disaster recovery funds has been awarded by the General Land Office to rehabilitate, reconstruct and construct affordable multi-family rental housing damaged by Hurricane Harvey, including in Port Arthur and Beaumont.

Project recipients included:

• Southwood Crossing Apartments, 3901 Highway 73, Phase I & II, 204 units, all LMI ($13,322,460)
• Senior Citizens’ Y House of Beaumont, 930 Calder St., Beaumont, 40 units, 100% LMI ($3,728,273).

The money is being awarded by the Texas General Land Office from $250 million in U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development CDBG-DR funds designated in the State Action Plan for the Multi-Family Affordable Rental Property Program. Each of the affordable rental complexes awarded serve all low- to moderate-income (LMI) individuals.

The six complexes are in Brazoria, Jefferson, Matagorda, Orange, Victoria and Walker Counties.

“Hurricane Harvey devastated numerous communities along the Texas coast, damaging or destroying numerous affordable housing complexes,” Bush said. “The GLO continues to work daily with communities to prioritize projects that help Texans return home.”

HUD approved Texas’ State Action Plan for $5.024 billion in housing assistance funding on June 25. The GLO’s Community Development and Revitalization team is working with local communities to facilitate the use of the funds through a variety of programs to address the needs of those affected by Hurricane Harvey.

Of the total funding, $250 million was allocated to meet the unmet need for affordable housing in areas outside Harris County and the city of Houston, which will determine how much to allocate towards rental housing from the direct allocations each received from HUD. The GLO will administer programs directly in the areas outside of Harris County and Houston, while providing oversight of the direct allocations.