Houston and Harris County are once more at odds over funding for Mayor John Whitmire’s formidable push to “finish road homelessness” as town’s fund for the initiative stays wanting its purpose.
The strain continued blended messages from the respective housing departments over the previous month, and town has begun seeking to federal sources to spice up its homelessness initiative.
On Thursday, the Harris County Commissioners Court docket reallocated $20 million from an embattled assured revenue program it’s abandoning. Commissioners break up up the funding into $8 million for eviction protections, $8 million for homelessness initiatives and $2.5 million for meals insecurity.
The town’s housing division claimed the $8 million for homelessness would “go instantly in the direction of the Mayor’s Homelessness Motion Plan” — which remained wanting its $70 million annual purpose because it awaited $16 million from the county and $20 million from personal philanthropy — and division director Mike Nichols mentioned, “We’re actively exploring how we will use eviction prevention funds.”
Thao Costis, the county’s housing division director, advised Houston Public Media that the county “wouldn’t name it the mayor’s program.”
“We’re in discussions with the (nonprofit) Coalition for the Homeless about supporting and bringing {dollars} for the system to assist the massive initiative that covers the entire county,” Costis mentioned. “We’re not calling it the mayor’s plan essentially as a result of the mayor is concentrated on, , downtown. Sure, ending road homelessness is one thing that all of us need, and we’re attempting to contribute to the larger finish road homelessness plan. We’re simply not calling it the mayor’s plan.”
In response to Costis’ feedback, Nichols mentioned the plan requires “important collaboration and important braiding of those funds.”
“I’d say there’s not any stress,” he mentioned. “I agree with Thao Costis that that {dollars} — she determines the place they’ll be used and the way they are going to be used, simply the identical as I’ve to go to the mayor and metropolis council to find out the {dollars}.”
Nichols mentioned he remained bullish on efforts to boost as much as $20 million from personal philanthropic sources, which he beforehand mentioned had been contingent on town and county working collectively.
“Funding typically does have governmental and use limitations so the system should braid these complicated funds to serve individuals experiencing homelessness,” Nichols mentioned Thursday.
The blended messaging continued a pattern from Might, when Nichols advised town’s finances committee that Costis indicated “$8 million is coming forth, and one other $8 million they’re trying to make use of for eviction safety, they’re negotiating to see if it may be somewhat broader.” Costis advised Houston Public Media on the time that no greenback determine was finalized, and the departments had been “all looking for the sources and are available to an alignment about how and when and the way a lot.”
Whitmire’s $70 million purpose depends closely on contributions from outdoors town’s personal coffers. Houston has contributed $3.5 million from its basic fund together with $14 million of its federal funding, whereas the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County (METRO) contributed $10 million. Houston First Company, a advertising arm of town authorities, gave $2.6 million.
Reallocating federal {dollars}
Along with searching for {dollars} from the county, town’s housing division is seeking to fund the homeless initiatives with different federal {dollars}.
With a looming deadline to spend federal catastrophe restoration funds from Hurricane Harvey earlier than they expire, the housing division needs to divert $12.5 million from packages like house buyouts and financial revitalization towards the push to finish road homelessness.
Practically $40 million of the greater than $600 million in restoration funds from the U.S. Division of Housing and City Growth (HUD) stays unspent — eight years after Hurricane Harvey inundated Houston, damaging greater than 200,000 houses and flats.
On Wednesday, Houston Metropolis Council gave the inexperienced gentle for town’s housing division to request reallocations of the remaining funds. Together with the diversion of funds towards homelessness, the replace contains the institution of an almost $20 million fund for down cost help for residents impacted by Harvey and an almost $5 million enhance for a house restore reimbursement program.
These adjustments could be funded by reductions to packages focusing on single-family growth, buyouts of houses susceptible to flooding and financial revitalization. The Texas Normal Land Workplace (GLO) and HUD might want to approve the plans.
“In the event you bear in mind Harvey, individuals experiencing homelessness had been devastated throughout that point,” Nichols mentioned. “There have been, in fact, accidents and deaths. People who find themselves residing outdoors want shelter, and we want that type of resilience for future storms, and that’s an applicable expenditure of catastrophe restoration funds.”
Nichols mentioned the $12.5 million would go towards “hubs” for homeless individuals, together with one location in central Houston together with three to 4 services additional out.
“We’re hoping to make use of present emergency homeless beds for individuals experiencing homelessness, and we’re contracting with a wide range of nonprofits, notably faith-based nonprofits, who’ve these emergency beds as individuals transition into both applicable providers, psychological well being, substance providers, or everlasting housing,” he mentioned.
Nichols mentioned he expects negotiations with the GLO to wrap up inside just a few weeks or months. A spokesperson for the GLO mentioned the company is “working carefully with the Metropolis of Houston via the federal grant course of to ensure each obtainable greenback of catastrophe restoration funding from the Hurricane Harvey grant is used to profit Houstonians earlier than February 2027.”
Approval of the fund diversion towards homelessness could be a significant boon for certainly one of Whitmire’s flagship initiatives. His initiative to finish road homelessness remained $40 million shy of its $70 million purpose resulting from ongoing efforts to acquire as much as $16 million from Harris County and $20 million from personal philanthropy. With out funding for providers and housing, metropolis officers are reluctant to start eradicating homeless individuals from public areas with out wherever for them to go.
Rivalry over use of federal funds
Julia Orduña, southeast Texas regional director for nonprofit advocacy group Texas Housers, known as the repurposing of funds for homelessness “politics at its worst.”
“The federal authorities supposed this cash to assist restoration of Houstonians from the worst disasters that town has ever seen, and as a substitute, Mayor Whitmire is utilizing these Harvey unmet wants as funding for additional {dollars} to fill their finances gaps,” Orduña mentioned, although she praised the creation of the $20 million down cost help program.
The traditionally frosty relationship between town and GLO has thawed over the previous 18 months. In 2021, former land commissioner George P. Bush initially withheld funds from town and Harris County regardless of them bearing the brunt of the injury from Harvey in 2017. In 2024, after years of squabbling between town and state, Whitmire and new land commissioner Daybreak Buckingham signalled willingness to work collectively to spend $200 million in leftover funding earlier than it expired.
“During the last 18 months, the connection between the GLO and the Metropolis of Houston has drastically improved as a result of management of Commissioner Buckingham and Mayor Whitmire and their shared mission of serving these we’re imagined to serve,” a spokesperson for the GLO mentioned.
For housing advocates like Orduña, the diversion of Harvey restoration funds towards homelessness compounded frustration with town’s plan for $315 million in restoration funds tied to a few federally declared climate disasters final 12 months, together with Hurricane Beryl. Regardless of discovering $229 million in unmet housing wants, town plans to spend greater than half of that grant on backup energy mills at metropolis services — and none on housing.
“Whereas I’m not shocked, I’m involved that the pattern of creating offers with the state to fill the finances gaps as a substitute of addressing the foundation causes is repeatedly seen,” Orduña mentioned.
On the subject of funding from the 2024 disasters, metropolis officers have mentioned they’re contemplating adjustments based mostly on public enter. The ultimate of three digital conferences is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Tuesday.
