The Houston City Council approved a $314.6 million disaster recovery plan to address home repairs, power generation resilience, homeless services and debris management in the wake of the 2024 derecho and Hurricane Beryl. The measure includes a major amendment from Council Member Tiffany Thomas that shifts $50 million from the city’s Power Generation and Resiliency Program to double funding for housing recovery.
The amendment allocates $100 million for housing recovery programs, increasing from the initial $0 allocation to $50 million following public outcry at community feedback meetings.
The amendment and the plan passed 12–3 after a debate over balancing housing needs with the city’s ability to respond to future storms. Council members Amy Peck, Fred Flickinger and Mary Nan Huffman voted against both. Some council members raised concerns about reducing the generator program, pointing to widespread power outages after Hurricane Beryl and the derecho.
Now, the plan comprises the following:
- Planning: $200,000
- Administration: $15.7 million
- Houston program: $100 million ($50 million designated for single-family and $50 million for multi-family housing)
- Power Generation Resilience Program: $101.3 million
- Emergency Response/Public Safety Program: $15.3 million
- Homeless Services Program: $41 million
- Debris Repository Acquisition/Development Program: 32.8 million
- Vegetation Management/Debris Removal Program: $8.25 million
Mayor John Whitmire called the process “a balancing act” between repairing damaged homes and preparing for the next disaster.
“We don’t have a good track record. We’re still addressing Harvey funding recovery funds,” Whitmire said. “So through relationships, hitting a restart button, we had to approach with what we thought our critical needs were…We’ve had a series of hearings. We listened to the housing chair [Thomas] of this panel.”
The federal funds, allocated through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Community Development Block Grant–Disaster Recovery 2024 program, are part of the Disaster Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2025. The package now heads to HUD for review and approval before the City gets reimbursed for any money spent.
A shift toward housing
Before the amendment, the plan set aside $30 million for multi-family housing repairs and $20 million for single-family home repairs. Thomas’ change increases both categories to $50 million each, directing more resources to residents still struggling to recover from the storms’ destruction.
“I have complete confidence in the housing department,” said Thomas, Chair of Housing and Community Affairs. “Even when we have weaknesses in certain areas, we have to scale up and get ready for that. More eyes are on what cities are doing, particularly what this body is doing for recovery…keeps us honest.
“It [recovery funds] allows us to make deep investments long-term so we can be hyper-focused on recovery and response until FEMA gets in and we receive the next fund. It’s the right thing, it’s a holistic package, it’s not imbalanced and it’s the best decision with the funds that we have.”
To cover the increased housing allocation, Thomas’ amendment reduced the Power Generation and Resiliency Program budget from $151.3 million to $101 million. That program funds backup power systems for critical city facilities like multi-service centers, water treatment plants and emergency hubs.
Will the funds be equitably disbursed? Thomas thinks so.
“With federal dollars, the good thing is that it comes with guidelines to meet certain census tracts that meet income eligibility, which keeps us in integrity about who gets what and how,” she said. “Sometimes what’s lost in the conversation is that everything that they identified is not necessarily eligible for these bonds, but it’s punctuating the need. The good news is we have a framework for going into these neighborhoods, these zip codes (LMI), to address those needs.”
Council member Letitia Plummer also proposed an amendment to allocate $50 million toward multifamily and single-family housing each. The amendment kept the Power Generation Resilience Program funding at $151.2 million. Still, it reduced the Emergency Response / Public Safety Program and Vegetation Management / Debris Removal Program to $0 and the Debris Repository Acquisition / Development Program to $6.4 million. Plummer withdrew her amendment after Thomas’ amendment passed with 12 votes.
Balancing immediate recovery and long-term resilience
Housing and Community Development Director Michael Nichols said the department is ready to scale up and deliver on the expanded housing programs.
“We need to use the funding we get from the federal government efficiently and effectively,” Nichols told the Defender. “The decision about how to use this funding is really excellent. It’s a balancing act between trying to help people who were harmed during Hurricane Beryl and getting their houses fixed at the same time. It is important to prepare for the next weather event. We will use every penny wisely and effectively, because it’s the people’s money.”
City officials stressed that while some resiliency projects will be delayed or scaled back, the reduced $101 million allocation will still cover priority generator installations. Federal guidelines require that CDBG-DR funds benefit low- and moderate-income communities, helping ensure that aid is targeted to neighborhoods hardest hit by disasters.
Community reaction
Community advocates welcomed the housing boost but noted that the need still exceeds the available funding.
“Today is a great day for the city of Houston. A lot of people will, with this disaster relief, be able to restore their lives,” said Synnachia McQueen, a Texas Organizing Project member. “Obviously, it’s not enough for so many people to do, but it’s a step…We are happy with this decision. We know it doesn’t really meet the needs; our estimators say we need 286 million. However, $100 million is a start, and it’s also the start of a relationship. If we can keep this going, we can move mountains.”
The organization, which has shifted its primary focus to disaster recovery, called the council’s vote a sign of progress and an opportunity to strengthen trust between residents and city leaders.
Texas Housers, an organization that helps low-income Texans find affordable housing, worked alongside the Texas Organizing Project, Texas Appleseed, CEER Coalition, Northeast Action Collective and City council members to advocate for increased housing funding.
“This essential funding was secured through the hard work of community members, full stop,” the organization told the Defender in a statement. “We still commonly hear stories of folks with holes in roofs, insecure structures, and senior housing with broken elevators and other stability issues. While there is much work to be done and accountability to hold, this $100 million is a critical first step to the recovery of these Houstonians with the deepest need.”
Next steps
Once HUD approves the plan, the city will launch community meetings to explain eligibility requirements and outline how funds will be distributed. Federal guidelines require that most of the money go to repairing or replacing housing in census tracts where at least 51% of residents are low- or moderate-income.
City departments are also working to identify alternative funding sources for the power resiliency projects that lost funding in the amendment. Possible options include FEMA grants, state emergency allocations and partnerships with the private sector.
“If we’re not able to find other potential grant funding, it may be something we have to self-fund through the utility, general fund dollars,” said Brian Mason, Deputy Director and Emergency Management Coordinator for the City’s Office of Emergency Management. “Part of the evaluation is not just the price to buy the generator. It’s everything that goes into installing and commissioning that generator.”
