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In a Friday afternoon ceremony at Brownsville’s La Villita Apartments, Texas General Land Office Commissioner Dawn Buckingham, M.D., officially presented a major funding package for critical infrastructure and affordable housing made available through GLO’s disaster recovery assistance programs.
GLO recently approved more than $41.6 million for the rehabilitation and repair of federally eligible affordable rental developments damaged by flooding in South Texas in 2018, flooding in 2019 in the Rio Grande Valley, and Tropical Storm Imelda in 2019.
The housing developments receiving the funds are located in the Valley and southeastern Texas.
In Brownsville, La Villita and BCC Village Town Homes each will receive more than $4.4 million for rehab and new construction, respectively.
Jackson Street Apartments in McAllen will receive $5 million and Camilla Court Pharr will get more than $3 million, both grants for new construction. In Willacy County, La Perla Estates in San Perlita is in line for nearly $1.7 million for new construction. Developments in seven counties will receive funding.
More than $18.6 million is going to Cameron, Hidalgo and Willacy counties combined, impacting 364 rental units. In all, 832 units will be rebuilt or newly constructed in the Valley and southeastern Texas, with 86 percent of the units housing low- to moderate-income renters, according to GLO.
Buckingham appeared with members of the GLO disaster recovery team, local officials and other partners from Brownsville, the Upper Valley, Jim Wells County and others receiving funds. State Rep. Janie Lopez, whose district includes Cameron and Willacy counties, was also on hand for the occasion.
“Consecutive disasters in Southeast Texas and the Rio Grande Valley damaged affordable housing and left renters with few options after the storms,” Buckingham said.
“Developments like these are vital to rebuild our communities and give our first responders, teachers, and workforce safe, resilient and beautiful homes, thanks to the hard work of our team at the General Land Office,” she said.
The GLO funds were made possible through a Community Development Block Grant through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. HUD’s Disaster Recovery program provides up to $5 million per applicant for reimbursement of eligible hard construction costs associated with rehab, reconstruction and new construction of affordable multi-family housing, GLO said.
The $41 million plus for affordable housing is part of more than $300 million in federal CDBG Disaster Recovery funds GLO is administering from HUD for long-term disaster recovery from the flooding and storm events, GLO said.
Buckingham said she was happy to be back in the Valley, which she called “such an amazing place.”
“It’s just wonderful that we can partner with our local communities and let you all grow the way you want to grow, develop the way you want to develop,” she said. “Our presence … here is really to just say we love you. We care about you. We know that this region is incredibly important to the entire state of Texas.”
