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On Monday, July 8, Hurricane Beryl made landfall between Matagorda and Galveston as a Category 1 Hurricane, impacting the City of Houston and Fort Bend, Harris, Montgomery, and Waller counties with damaging, sustained high wind and heavy rainfall. In its wake, Beryl left nearly 3 million residents in the Houston region without power.
On Tuesday, July 9, President Joe Biden approved a Major Disaster Declaration which positions FEMA to make funding available to local governments to aid in debris removal and emergency work, including direct federal assistance once authorized. All four counties in the Disaster Alliance’s service area are included in the declaration. President Biden amended the Major Disaster Declaration for Texas on July 12 authorizing additional federal assistance to disaster survivors who are uninsured or underinsured. They can register for a range of support services, including financial aid to repair or rebuild their homes, temporary housing solutions, and access other specialized programs designed to help them quickly get back on their feet and recover from the disaster.
The Greater Houston Disaster Alliance (Disaster Alliance), has established the Hurricane Beryl Recovery Fund (Fund). This Fund will support individuals and families affected by the severe weather, winds, and aftermath of Hurricane Beryl. The Fund will complement regional efforts by providing grants to local nonprofits to provide emergency financial assistance, home repair, and resource navigation services.
The Hurricane Beryl Recovery Fund will serve uninsured and underinsured low-to-moderate income families (ALICE population) affected across the City of Houston and Fort Bend, Harris, Montgomery, and Waller counties, focusing on disproportionately impacted zip codes and vulnerable populations. As more data becomes available, we will continue to refine our funding strategy.
The Greater Houston Disaster Alliance is investing $3.15 million in grants from its Hurricane Beryl Recovery Fund to help area neighbors who are struggling to recover from the July 8 storm. This first round of grants will support low-to-moderate income households with flexible emergency financial assistance to help defray the costs of crucial disaster recovery related expenses; provide navigation support for people accessing additional recovery services, such as FEMA and Small Business Administration (SBA) assistance; and provide targeted home repair assistance for the most severely impacted who face financial challenges covering repair costs.
A comprehensive analysis of zip codes was conducted using the above sources, identifying 47 unique zip codes across the City of Houston and surrounding counties, including Fort Bend, Harris, Montgomery, and Waller. Among these, 19 zip codes have been designated as the most affected, as they consistently ranked at the top when evaluating three criteria: total need, proportional need, and total homes damaged.
The Greater Houston Disaster Alliance is investing an additional $1.5 million in grants from its Hurricane Beryl Recovery Fund to help area neighbors who are struggling to recover from the July 8 storm. Like the first round of grants, this set of investments will support low-to-moderate income households with flexible emergency financial assistance and targeted home repair assistance. This support aims to offset the costs of crucial disaster recovery related expenses and assist the most severely impacted who face financial challenges covering repair costs.
Because the Greater Houston Disaster Alliance provides aid directly to nonprofits in the form of grants, it’s important to know that residents cannot apply for direct financial help from the Disaster Alliance. If you have urgent needs, we encourage you to call the 211 Texas / United Way HELPLINE, which has a continuously updated database of social service resources available through a variety of organizations in the region.
The 211 Texas / United Way HELPLINE is a free, confidential helpline operated by United Way of Greater Houston that provides information & referral services to help seekers 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. This includes connecting individuals with nonprofit organizations that provide services relevant to their specific needs, including information about available funds and resources. Upon connecting, 211 will engage in a personalized conversation to understand the caller’s specific situation and needs, then provide direct contact information for local organizations that can best address those needs. Each organization has its own intake process, and 211’s goal is to facilitate a seamless and efficient connection between the individual and the nonprofit organization, allowing for a more personalized and effective support experience.
NEED HELP? CONTACT:
By filling out the two-step Connective Survey, you’ll provide crucial information that will help us understand the full extent of the damage and share your needs with local nonprofits and government agencies.
This is not an application for assistance, but you can opt-in to receive text messages about available new resources and assistance as they become available.
As our community struggles to recover from the devastating effects of Hurricane Beryl, we urge you to join us in the efforts to rebuild and revitalize our neighborhoods by volunteering your time and skills – every pair of hands, no matter how small, is crucial in this critical moment, and together we can make a difference.
As power and operations are restored, we welcome your insights into on-the-ground needs in Fort Bend, Harris, Montgomery, and Waller Counties by emailing Sara Martinez or Brooke Campbell.
Please continue to check back as we ramp up our grantmaking efforts.
MORE RESOURCES
Visit the For Nonprofits page.
In partnership with City and County leaders, and the Disaster Alliance’s Disaster Recovery Council, the decision to launch the Hurricane Beryl Recovery Fund was based on the significant number of households affected by severe weather and the hardships created on those families who were already struggling before disaster struck.
The Hurricane Beryl Recovery Fund will serve uninsured or underinsured low-to-moderate income families (ALICE population) in the affected counties of Harris, Fort Bend, Montgomery, and Waller, focusing on disproportionately impacted zip codes and vulnerable populations. As more data becomes available, we will continue to refine our funding strategy.
We encourage you to call the 211 Texas/United Way HELPLINE to find out about available resources. 211 connects our neighbors with help 24/7/365 and is our community’s go-to resource in times of disaster. 211 can connect you with food, childcare, transportation, and other social services, critical information, and community resources.
Please understand that in times of disaster, there can be long wait times due to periods of heavy call volume. Assistance through 211 can also be accessed through the following methods:
We encourage you to call the 211 Texas/United Way HELPLINE to be connected to available resources in your community.
Let’s get to know each other first!
Click here to fill out our interest form and we will follow up with you to share next steps.
Disaster Alliance resources for nonprofit partners typically support the immediate and long-term recovery of low-income and vulnerable households through a variety of disaster recovery services that are deployed based on the specific circumstances of each disaster.
Completing this form is not an application for or guarantee of funding, nor does it guarantee an invitation to join the Disaster Alliance’s nonprofit network.
Completing this form is the first step to get connected with Disaster Alliance resources that may become available in the future.
Grant amounts will be based on capacity, reach within disproportionately impacted communities, anticipated outputs/outcomes, alignment with service guidelines, and organizations that propose budgets that maximize direct resources to households and leverage other resources.
Impacted households who meet the eligibility criteria can access emergency financial assistance starting on July 31. Home repair resources will be announced to the public on August 7. At that point, we will share eligibility requirements and how to apply for help.
Help seekers from Harris, Fort Bend, Montgomery and Waller Counties should call the 211 Texas/United Way HELPLINE, a free, confidential helpline operating 24 hours a day. A helpline specialist will gather information on the caller’s specific situation and needs and provide direct contact information for local organizations that can best address those needs.
When connected with a nonprofit partner, a basic assessment will be conducted to identify primary needs that determine the amount of flexible emergency financial assistance provided.
Additionally, eligible households will be connected with a navigator to help guide them through available federal relief programs, such as FEMA and SBA, as well as other public and private programs for temporary housing, food, medical care and other support services.
The main criteria for the distribution of funds is need – those uninsured and underinsured low-to-moderate income families, focusing on disproportionately impacted zip codes and vulnerable populations, using a data-driven approach.
Eligibility Criteria for Round One
The Disaster Alliance conducted a comprehensive zip code level analysis to identify the areas hardest hit by Hurricane Beryl, which drives our grantmaking strategy.
Distribution methods are dependent on the nonprofit and their systems. Payments can be in the form of check, direct deposit, gift card, Venmo or Paypal.
Cherri Carbonara
cherri@carbonaragroup.com
832-473-6380
Hannah Savage
hannah@carbonaragroup.com
713-819-1320
Houston, TX (August 21, 2024) – $1.5 Million Invested by Greater Houston Disaster Alliance in Second Round of Grants from Hurricane Beryl Recovery Fund
Houston, TX (August 7, 2024) – Greater Houston Disaster Alliance Announces Opening of Home Repair Assistance for Low-Income, Vulnerable Households Impacted by Hurricane Beryl
Houston, TX (July 15, 2024) – Greater Houston Disaster Alliance Launches Hurricane Beryl Recovery Fund for Severely Impacted Households
Houston, TX (July 31, 2024) – Greater Houston Disaster Alliance Invests $3.15 Million in Grants to Nonprofits Serving Low-Income, Vulnerable Households Impacted by Hurricane Beryl
For additional information, please click here.
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