State boosts Harvey aid by $38M
Transfer will help address critical housing needs created by storm
AUSTIN — Facing repeated delays in funding from Congress, top state officials Wednesday approved the transfer of an additional $38.6 million in state funds to pay for critical housing assistance in Houston and other coastal areas devastated by Hurricane Harvey.
Gov. Greg Abbott said the funds would be transferred from the Texas Department of Criminal Justice to the General Land Office, which is handling housing assistance relief and had requested the money.
The transfer was made under a state law that allows officials to move funds in the state budget to cope with a disaster like Harvey.
The move came as Abbott and Govs. Jerry Brown of California, Rick Scott of Florida and Ricardo Rosselló of Puerto Rico intensified the pressure on the U.S. Senate to quickly approve additional disaster funding bottled up for weeks in a partisan fight in Washington over the budget and immigration issues.
“While no longer front page news in Washington,
D.C., ongoing suffering becomes more acute the longer Congress waits to finish its work and pass a substantial disaster supplemental funding package,” the governors said in the letter to Senate and House leaders in both parties.
“Over the past several months, we have received numerous assurances that adequate disaster funding was imminent . ... Simply put, the communities devastated by these storms cannot be completely put back together until the federal government makes good on its promise to our citizens. If ever there was a time and role for the federal government to urgently help its citizens rebuild communities damaged by epochal disasters, now is the time to step up and fill that role.”
Operations not affected
In Texas, as state officials shifted money from one agency to another to continue to pay Harvey bills, Abbott said the transfer will not affect the operations of the criminal justice agency, which operates the state prison and parole systems, and will be replenished when the Legislature comes into its next regular session in January 2019.
Deputy Land Commissioner Mark Havens said in a Jan. 12 letter to state leaders that $30 million of the money will be used for “cash flow needs related to the delivery of Multi-Family Lease and Repair direct assistance, direct leasing, Manufactured Housing/ Recreational Vehicle options and Direct Assistance for Limited Home Repair, and the federally required 10 percent state match related to partial repair” and a sheltering program.
The remaining $8.6 million will pay for the MultiFamily Pilot Housing Project slated to begin in March.
The transfer comes as Congress has repeatedly delayed approval of additional Harvey-relief funding, and as state officials have been scrambling to keep critical disaster-recovery programs operating until federal funds are forthcoming.
The federal funds reimburse the state for disaster recovery programs.
Housing a priority
“A top priority as we continue to rebuild is ensuring that families affected by Harvey can return to permanent housing,” Abbott said in a statement. “This funding gives the General Land Office the necessary resources to continue that important work.”
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said the transfer will allow Texas to continue to “move forward on the work to house the thousands of Texans who lost their homes.”
“Until the Legislature acts next session to fully address the impact of Hurricane Harvey, this will ensure that families impacted along the Gulf Coast can begin the long process of rebuilding,” said Speaker Joe Straus. “It also demonstrates our commitment to ensuring transparency and accountability in the use of state money for hurricane relief.”
Abbott also announced that he will unveil a $7 million micro loan program for businesses impacted by Harvey, in partnership with Goldman Sachs, LiftFund and the Rebuilt Texas Fund. Details are to be announced Thursday in Houston.