What’s new
The $314 million comes from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to support long-term recovery efforts following major disasters such as Hurricane Beryl and the 2024 derecho, according to previous Community Impact reporting.
The current funding plan would direct $151 million toward backup generators in the city, and $50 million toward housing programs to repair homes damaged during extreme weather events.
Thomas, who chairs the Housing and Affordability Committee, laid out an amendment that would redirect $50 million from the backup generator program to the housing program, resulting in the housing program receiving $100 million instead.
“When people lack savings, when insurance fails, when systems collapse, federal disaster funds are meant to fill that gap,” Thomas said in a July 23 news release. “This is not the moment to play politics with people’s pain. This is the moment to demand more because recovery without housing is just rhetoric.”
The context
Thomas’ proposal comes after the city originally set no funds toward housing in the original draft of the funding plan, despite the plan finding that over $229 million is needed for housing repair, reconstruction and personal property loss.
The decision to leave out housing costs by Whitmire’s administration was met with backlash from Houston residents, many of whom commented during public hearings throughout June.
What city officials are saying
Whitmire signaled his support for the amendment during the July 30 meeting and said, “everybody is going to be really pleased” with the process to figure out how to allocate the funds.
“Listening to [Thomas], listening to the community, of course, we’re going to accept her amendment,” Whitmire said.
Thomas said in a statement that she appreciates the mayor’s support of her amendment.
“I agree with my fellow council members. Local government is important because we are the body that’s closest to the people,” Thomas wrote. “This funding increase will impact the lives of Houstonians in a meaningful way, and I'm looking forward to a unanimous vote of support in two weeks.”
Council member Edward Pollard said that although it’s important to have a plan to protect city assets—such as city facilities—for individuals and residents, their homes are their assets.
“We have to have a plan that balances both,” Pollard said. “Ensuring that the city’s assets are protected, but also that the needs are met by the community and their homes are protected.”
However, council member Fred Flickinger said during the July 23 City Council meeting that he has heard remarks from several residents who are unhappy with the repairs they’ve received.
“Not only do we have a problem spending the money in a timely manner, apparently we’ve got issues in doing a quality manner as well,” Flickinger said. “It seems to me there are really two schools of thought here. One is, we can give repair assistance to a finite number of people, or we can spend the money on things like generators for our emergency services that benefit the entire city.”
What residents are saying
Numerous residents spoke during a July 29 public comment session, voicing their support for Thomas’ amendment, recounting their experiences of how hurricanes and winter storms affected their homes.
Fred Woods, the president of Northwood Manor Civic Club, said that the funding for housing repairs, especially single-family housing, is a “top priority.”
“We all agree that $0 for home repair won’t work, and $50 million is not enough,” Woods said. “These funds are meant to repair damaged homes.”
Doris Brown, co-founder of activist group Northeast Action Collective, said that while Thomas’ amendment is “a wonderful plan,” funding for backup generators is necessary when residents are left without electricity for days and weeks.
"If the initiative is to tackle homelessness, what better way than to allocate $100 million for home repair to help rather than cause more hurt or harm by displacement or homelessness?" Brown said.
Other residents, such as Richard Payne, urged City Council not to approve Thomas’ amendment, pointing toward a sewer lift station near his community that lost power and leaked “raw sewage” into the neighborhood during Hurricane Beryl.
“The city is supposed to represent all the people,” Payne said. “I understand homeowners have issues, but backup power during a power outage is a real issue for safety, security and sanitation.”
Houston resident Barbara Denson said redirecting funding from critical infrastructure and emergency preparedness toward the housing program is “not just risky, it’s reckless,” and that previous housing programs have a “shaky track record.”
“Disaster mitigation and emergency response is the backbone of community resilience, not a luxury,” Denson said. “We’ve seen what happens when emergency systems are underfunded—delays, confusion, preventable harm.”
What’s next?
The vote on the amendment and funding plan was delayed until council's next meeting Aug.13.
