Cmr. George P. Bush Announces Launch of Homeowner Reimbursement Program

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

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- First of its kind program reimburses homeowners up to $50,000 for repairs Now accepting applications online, in-person, and via mail

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Today Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush announced the application for the Homeowner Reimbursement Program (HRP) is now available in all eligible Hurricane Harvey affected counties. 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 for up to $50,000 for eligible repairs for damage from Hurricane Harvey.

"Texans are incredibly resilient but recovering from the damaged caused by Hurricane Harvey created a lot of out-of-pocket expenses for thousands of Texas families, including those with insurance," said Commissioner Bush. "With $100 million allocated to it, this first-of-its-kind program is designed to help Texans who were financially devastated by Hurricane Harvey. Now our focus turns to spreading the word that help is here for those who are still struggling to rebuild their lives."

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.

Potential applicants should review the Homeowner Reimbursement Program Checklist to have all applicable documents ready prior to applying. Interested homeowners should visit recovery.texas.gov/hrp/ to apply online or download a printable version of the application.