As the mighty floodwaters recede, Houston and other parts of hard-hit Texas begin the slow, grim task of recovering from Hurricane Harvey.
The storm devastated the state, sending approximately 34,500 evacuees into shelters, destroying more than 6,000 single-family homes, and damaging another 82,422. Affordable housing developments were not immune from Harvey’s wrath.
About a week after the flooding, developers were assessing the damage.
Aransas Pass on Texas' Gulf Coast reported heavy damage from the hurricane. National Church Residences says its senior housing community there has been significantly damaged. The 76 residents living at Live Oaks Village have been relocated.
"It will likely be next summer before our residents can return," says Michelle Norris, National Church Residences' executive vice president of external affairs and strategic initiatives.
Many of its other communities in Texas had partial or full evacuations, but did not suffer the same damage as Live Oaks Village.
In addition, the Columbus, Ohio–based nonprofit is looking into longer-term opportunities to be part of the recovery process in these communities.
"We have some unique resources, and we feel called to be part of the long-term response," says Norris, adding that the nonprofit is in the planning stages for recovery opportunities.
The Houston Housing Authority (HHA), which owns approximately 6,000 housing units, was still assessing the damage at its properties, but the early indication is that over 10% of its portfolio has been impacted, says Tory Gunsolley, president and CEO. The estimate could go higher.
Out of the agency’s 28 public housing and low-income housing tax credit developments, about seven were hard hit, with some properties having up to seven or eight feet of flooding.
While stressing that HHA is still inspecting the damages, Gunsolley says the housing authority will likely have to decide on whether to repair or rebuild at some developments.
In addition to the properties it owns, HHA also provides about 18,000 housing vouchers to families and individuals. As a result, the agency will be inspecting privately owned properties across the city that take part in the program. “We’re trying to get a good understanding of how many people with vouchers are impacted,” Gunsolley says.
Overall, HHA provides housing and services to more than 58,000 Houstonians. The agency estimates that 200 public housing residents have been displaced, but that number is subject to change.
Gunsolley and others in the region are still waiting to hear what resources may be available to rebuild and assist residents.
It’s likely that Harvey’s impact will be felt for a long time and will propel affordable housing providers to step into action or alter their plans.
“It certainly has changed our future plans in that we’re going to be focused on building as quickly as we can,” Gunsolley says.
Stepping into action
New Hope Housing, a nonprofit that serves many of Houston’s neediest residents, escaped damage to its seven properties, says Joy Horak-Brown, president and CEO.
“We were both prepared and fortunate,” she says, citing good construction and a bit of luck for not being hard hit.

However, Harvey’s far reach is still impacting the nonprofit. The city has asked New Hope to convert an empty building that had formerly served as a shelter for families and women into temporary housing for people who have been displaced by the storm and are in the George R. Brown Convention Center.
“We’ll be assisting the city of Houston by putting our experience and expertise to use in a different way,” says Horak-Brown, noting that the building will likely be open for approximately a year.
The team is preparing the building to accept residents in about a week. A robust service program is also being planned to help people relocate to permanent housing.
Although NHH typically builds new construction developments and operates permanent affordable housing, it will use its expertise to re-open the existing building into a shelter setting with a full-service kitchen, laundry services, and case-management offices, There are units that sleep four and include two sinks, a toilet and shower, and lockers. There are a total of 74 units to sleep 296 people.
Horak-Brown says she thinks the need for the temporary housing will come in different waves. The immediate need will be to serve people who have been evacuated during the initial days of the disaster. In a few months, it may change to serve people who had expected to be able to return to home but have been delayed and need a roof over their heads.
While New Hope expects to be reimbursed for operating costs, it does not plan to take a management fee. “These are unprecedented circumstances,” Horak-Brown says.
In another move Enterprise has launched the Harvey Community Recovery Fund to respond to the storm’s short-, mid- and long-term needs, with a goal to raise $10 million, announced Terri Ludwig, president and CEO of Enterprise Community Partners. The organization said it is rolling out the fund with $500,000 and will begin making grants immediately while identifying additional sources.
"To begin, the fund will support nonprofits serving displaced low-income residents and doing the necessary hard work of cleaning up neighborhoods, house by house and block by block in the storm-damaged areas of south Texas; the Houston metro area; Beaumont/Port Arthur, Texas, and southwest Louisiana," Ludwig wrote, adding that Enterprise will also help organizations tackle rebuilding.
Lesson learned
Orlando Cabrera, a partner at the Arnall Golden Gregory law firm, has extensive experience in disaster recovery. Former head of the Florida Housing Finance Corp., he was at the agency during four major hurricanes. He also served as assistant secretary for public and Indian housing at the Department of Housing and Urban Development following Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
“I think what happened yesterday is a wonderful start,” Cabrera says, citing federal officials agreeing to a package of more than $15 billion in relief funds. “Speed is everything because people in Texas are not going back to normal any time soon however much money we put into it. What’s important to know is the support is there for people who have been impacted severely, mostly in housing and other necessities and to make sure they get what they need as quickly as possible.”
The situation could get much, much worse for the nation. On the heels of Hurricane Harvey, Florida and South Carolina are bracing for Hurricane Irma, which is expected to hit in the days ahead.
For affordable housing, Cabrera would like to see key waivers approved for compliance and other issues to help people get into housing. Making sure that different resources can be used together in a smooth and fluid manner will also be critical, he says.
Cabrera also points out that the HOME program, which has had its funding reduced in recent years, has been enormously helpful after prior disasters. “HOME is indispensable, especially during recovery,” he says.