The city of Houston is partnering with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to extend the deadline for the city to spend Hurricane Harvey disaster recovery funding by two years.

What's happening?

Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham met with Houston Mayor John Whitmire, and Harris County commissioners Lesley Briones and Tom Ramsey on April 17 to announce the extension before Houston City Council.

The announcement also included the launch of a collaborative outreach effort to seek out displaced Houston residents who state officials said were not offered relocation assistance under former Mayor Sylvester Turner.

The details


Buckingham said the effort seeks to provide Uniform Relocation Assistance to approximately 900 households displaced from four repetitively flooded rental properties that were bought out using federal disaster recovery funding.

According to the Texas General Land Office, Uniform Relocation Assistance is provided through a federal law that mandates relocation assistance for tenants being displaced by federally funded buyout programs.

Relocation assistance could include money for moving expenses and to supplement the cost of leasing a comparable replacement dwelling.

Who it affects
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The four apartment complexes that qualify for assistance under the extension include:
  • Biscayne at City View, 17030 and 17050 Imperial Valley Drive, Houston
  • Monticello Square Apartments, 5312 Clarewood Drive, Houston
  • Appian Way Apartments, 3200 N. MacGregor Way, Houston
  • Spring Village Apartments, 11810 Chimney Rock Road, Houston
To be eligible, the person must have been a tenant of the property on the buyout date.
  • Biscayne at City View: Nov. 17, 2021
  • Monticello Square Apartments: Aug. 24, 2021
  • Appian Way Apartments: May 5, 2021
  • Spring Village Apartments: June 2, 2021
"We will use many resources to find these Houstonians, including outreach through schools, churches and faith organizations, Houston Public Works, food banks, and community organizations," Buckingham said.

Check this out

Former residents of the affected apartment complexes are encouraged to visit the Texas General Land Office for more information or eligibility assistance, which can be found here.