Texas GLO extends application deadline for Hurricane Harvey Homeowner Assistance Program
HOUSTON - The Texas General Land Office announced on Friday that the application submission deadline for the Hurricane Harvey Homeowner Assistance Program in Houston and Harris County has been extended to the end of the year.
Applicants now have until December 31, 2021 at 5 p.m. to submit their completed applications to be considered for eligibility so long as funding is available.
Four years after Hurricane Harvey, Houston mayor says the city is less vulnerable
In October, GLO announced the deadline was set to Nov. 19, 2021. But earlier this week, the Harvey Forgotten Survivors Caucus published an open letter to the office asking for more time among other demands. The caucus is a group of homeowners and Hurricane Harvey survivors who have banded together to work through the onerous process of getting government-funded home repairs.
The group believed the deadline included those applications that are already in processing, which involves the time-consuming task of gathering all necessary paperwork. GLO clarified to FOX 26 the deadline is for application intake only.
The Ike Dike: Where does Houston's coastal protection project stand?
Despite the confusion, the General Land Office decided to move the deadline, releasing the following statement to FOX 26:
"After receiving feedback from the community, the GLO has decided to postpone the application submission deadline for the Homeowner Assistance Program (HAP) to December 31, 2021, at 5 p.m. This extension gives eligible applicants additional time to ensure their applications are submitted. We appreciate the community’s feedback and continue to listen and adapt our programs to ensure local concerns are taken into account. We encourage the community to remember that applications do not need to be fully complete to be submitted. The GLO continues to work with applicants who are missing documentation."
Submitting a complete application does not guarantee eligibility nor funding availability. Those who live inside Houston city limits should apply at recovery.texas.gov/hap/houston, while non-Houston residents of Harris County should apply at recovery.texas.gov/hap/harriscounty.
New applicants can also call the toll-free intake center line at 1-866-317-1998.
Once application submissions are closed, GLO says the HAP team will turn its outreach and intake resources towards "processing applications for eligibility, procuring the necessary local construction permits, and rebuild homes for those individuals who complete the process."