CMR. George P. Bush Announces Homeowner Reimbursement Program Office Locations in Advance of Application Release

AUSTIN, Texas, Feb. 26 -- The Texas General Land Office issued the following news release:

Today Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush announced the locations of Homeowner Reimbursement Program regional offices in advance of the application release. The application will be released Feb. 28, at 8:00 a.m. CST, available online and in person at the regional offices.

"Hurricane Harvey damaged thousands of homes and devastated the livelihoods of countless Texans," said Commissioner Bush. "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."

The Texas General Land Office (GLO) allocated $100 million in Community Development Block Grants for Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to reimburse homeowners up to $50,000 for certain out-of-pocket expenses incurred for repairs to their Hurricane Harvey damaged home, including reconstruction, rehabilitation or mitigation. Homeowners in Harris County and the city of Houston will be able to apply for similar programs funded by direct allocations.

The following regional office locations will be available to help potential applicants:

Rockport Homeowner Reimbursement Program Regional Office

2317 Rath Street, Rockport, TX 78382

Fort Bend Homeowner Reimbursement Program Regional Office

1 Sugar Creek Center Boulevard, Suite 200, Sugar Land, TX 77478

Galveston Homeowner Reimbursement Program Regional Office

600 Gulf Freeway, Texas City, TX 77591

Conroe Homeowner Reimbursement Program Regional Office

200 River Pointe Dr., Conroe, TX 77304

South East Texas Homeowner Reimbursement Program Regional Office

505 Orleans Street, Suite 100, Beaumont, TX 77701

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 [email protected] or call 1-844-893-8937.

In accordance with HUD requirements, to be eligible for this program:

* 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, 2019.

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 the City of Houston or Harris County, which will fund repair programs through their respective direct allocations.

* 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% area median income and homeowner did not have flood insurance on August 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 (LMI) 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.