In a significant step toward addressing housing affordability and recovery from Hurricane Harvey, the City of Houston will provide up to $125,000 in down-payment assistance, closing costs, subsidized interest rates and principal reductions to approximately 200 households.
The Harvey Homebuyer Assistance Program, funded through an $18 million program approved unanimously by Houston City Council, targets first-time homebuyers and families who lost homes during the 2017 disaster. Eligible applicants must have resided in Houston on August 25, 2017, and meet income requirements of no more than 120% of the area median income.
“This program is a small step that will have a big impact,” said Mike Nichols, director of Houston’s Housing and Community Development Department. “It’s about putting over 200 families into homes and signaling the direction we want to take to make Houston more affordable.”
The program reflects renewed cooperation between the City of Houston and the Texas General Land Office (GLO), which oversees federal recovery funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Historically, the relationship between the two entities has been strained. After Hurricane Harvey, the GLO initially allocated no funds to Harris County or Houston and later took control of the city’s Harvey Homeowner Assistance Program, citing inefficiencies.
Too little, too late for some
In the Houston area, Harvey flooded more than 150,000 homes, with more than 16,000 residents identified as potentially needing repair help.
About 50% of Houston households impacted by Harvey were low- and moderate-income, according to the city. Community advocates say many damaged homes were in Black and Latino neighborhoods that have lacked economic investment and proper infrastructure to keep them from flooding.
In May 2020, the Texas General Land Office reached out to Houston resident Lloyd Nelms after launching its own state-operated Harvey repair program for Houstonians. Nelms, whose longtime home was damaged in Harvey, was tired of waiting for help from the city. He filled out all the paperwork and within weeks, the GLO demolished his house and built a new one in its place.
Nelms said when the city sent a contractor to his home on Aug. 26, 2020 — four years after he applied to the non-Harvey program and months after the GLO rebuilt his house.
“I lost hope in the city, but I didn’t lose hope in God,” said Nelms.
Houston Mayor John Whitmire, who assumed office in 2023 after five decades as a state lawmaker, has prioritized mending the relationship between disgruntled homeowners and the city. He worked closely with Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham to secure over $200 million in unspent federal disaster funds.
“Because of this collaboration, we’ve seen a real shift in the way the city and the GLO are working together,” Nichols said. “Our recent review with the GLO was both friendly and supportive—this partnership is vital to helping our residents rebuild.”
To qualify for assistance, applicants must already have a mortgage in place and meet federal and state housing guidelines. Prospective homebuyers can visit the city’s Housing and Community Development Department’s online portal for detailed application instructions. The City’s website at https://houstontx.gov/hcdrecovery/dr17/hbap.html says the program is closed, but applicants can contact hcd@houstontx.gov for more information.
This isn’t Houston’s first effort to aid hurricane-affected families. A similar program helped approximately 500 homebuyers in the past, and 50 households are already queued for the new round of funding.
“Affordability is a pressing issue, not just in Houston but nationwide,” said Council Member Martha Castex-Tatum. “While this program may seem small, for the 200 families it serves, it will be life-changing.”
The program underscores Houston’s commitment to rebuilding lives and creating opportunities for those impacted by one of the worst natural disasters in the city’s history.
