Homeless shelter plans advance with Montgomery County approval, $1.8M in federal funding

Federal funds will help Montgomery County purchase and rehabilitate a building that will be used to help shelter homeless families. This project was previously discussed over the summer as commissioners decided how to use Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act funds.

On Sept. 22, Montgomery County Commissioners Court approved a Community Development Block Grant agreement with the nonprofit group Family Promise to acquire a facility that will become a shelter for individuals experiencing homelessness and help isolate families during contagious disease events.

The acquisition comes from fiscal year 2020-21 funds from the federal Housing and Urban Development CDBG program and is a part of the county’s five-year plan to develop facilities and support social service organizations, according to agenda materials.

The agreement is for up to $495,000 in CDBG funds for the project, and another $1.3 million is coming from a Homeless Emergency Services Grant as part of the CARES Act for building rehabilitation.

The building is located at 109 Commercial Circle, Conroe, and will include seven bedrooms with a resident manager, according to the meeting agenda.

“[Precinct 1 Commissioner] Mike [Meador] has told me so much about what you're doing, and it’s so impressive. It’s so desperately needed. Thank you,” Precinct 3 Commissioner James Noack said at the meeting.

Also at the Sept. 22 meeting, Election Administrator Suzie Harvey reported that requests for mail-in ballots have already exceeded the projected totals for the upcoming Nov. 3 election by about 30%.

“We’re quite a ways away from the deadline, so, yeah, we’ve seen a big increase,” she said after Noack asked if there had been an uptick in requests.

County Judge Mark Keough was not present at the Sept. 22 meeting.