State House Committee Hears Concerns About Harvey Housing Recovery

House of Representative Screenshot

The Houston-Galveston Area Council distributes federal funds for the 13-county region.

Appearing before the House Committee on County Affairs, H-GAC's Chuck Wemple said they'd like to use more recovery funds to get people into permanent housing but FEMA only allows for temporary housing.

"And that is something that we think we should look at long-term," said Wemple. "Is finding a way to match up that mission with FEMA that doesn't allow for permanent housing but only temporary housing, and the HUD mission to be able to develop this type of housing to where it can be implemented quickly."

Wemple added that change would have many benefits.

"It would save money, it would get people back in their homes, and it would help communities recover much quicker if we could look at a solution like that," explained Wemple.

H-GAC is currently working on a plan for distributing Harvey recovery funds in the Houston region. Wemple said they hope to approve a final plan in July and then submit it to the state.

Today in Houston Newsletter Signup

We're in the process of transitioning services for our Today in Houston newsletter. If you'd like to sign up now, fill out the form below and we will add you as soon as we finish the transition. **Please note** If you are already signed up for the newsletter, you do not need to sign up again. Your subscription will be migrated over.

Name *

First

Last

Email *

Submit