Nona Trussle attended a recent Hurricane Ike recovery meeting sponsored by Galveston County hoping to hear details of the $99 million program aimed at repairing and rebuilding houses.
No details were available, and all she heard from officials was “be patient, and it’s a long, complicated process.”
In February, the Houston-Galveston Area Council announced Galveston County would receive $165 million in federal community block development grant money, while the city of Galveston was awarded $267 million. About 60 percent of that money is to be set aside to help homeowners like Trussle.
To date, not one single dollar has been spent. In fact, the city of Galveston and the county are just in the early stages of getting their housing programs up and running.
Trussle figures the year since the hurricane wiped her Crystal Beach house away would have been a sufficient waiting period.
“Show me the money,” Trussle said. “Quit telling me about it. Just show me the check.”
She is one of hundreds of homeowners in the county still waiting for help.
Slow Process
County and state officials acknowledge the process is too slow but blame federal regulations, procedures and paperwork.
“It’s just a difficult process, and it’s something we have never done before, so you have that learning curve to deal with,” County Commissioner Pat Doyle said.
His precinct includes Bolivar Peninsula and the San Leon-Bacliff area, two of the hardest-hit places.
The process involves setting up the system to accept, review and approve applications from homeowners and hiring contractors to handle the construction.
The county, just two weeks ago, hired a contractor to manage its housing program.
The city of Galveston won’t hire its management team until the end of this month.
“One year after an event to come in to help with housing is too long,” Doyle said. “What is quicker? Should it be six months? Three months? I don’t know.
“Responsiveness is always hard in these deals because you are dealing with so much money.”
Rita’s Lessons
Victims of Hurricane Rita know that all too well. More than three years after that hurricane wrecked much of the state’s Golden Triangle area, less than 40 percent of the $428 million in federal disaster housing assistance money has been spent, The Associated Press reported last month.
State Rep. Joe Deshotel, D-Beaumont, said Rita taught some valuable lessons about how to speed up the process of recovery. Still, Galveston County officials expect that repair or reconstruction work won’t begin until the spring, a year and a half after Ike hit on Sept. 13, 2008.
Part of the plan to speed up the process was to give more local control of housing programs. While the Texas Department of Rural Affairs managed the application to the federal government, it distributed the funds through regional councils of government, including the Houston-Galveston Area Council.
But local control doesn’t mean less paperwork. Galveston County had to send its housing plan back to the state for approval. The state, in turn, must seek approval from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. That takes months, Doyle said.
Galveston County’s housing plan wasn’t approved until Sept. 11, county officials said.
Pre-planning
County Judge Jim Yarbrough said counties should adopt programs for housing similar to those for debris removal by having contracts in place before a storm hits.
“That way, as soon as the storm has passed, you can begin the intake process and start taking in applications from people so you can be ready to give them help once the money is available,” Yarbrough said.
Charlie Stone, the executive director of the Texas Department of Rural Affairs, said the state could do a better job of figuring out how much damage a storm caused. His agency complained that damage assessments by the Federal Emergency Management Agency were unreliable and delayed the process.
He supports a plan to have a state organized response team at the ready to assess damage after a disaster.
Where’s The Money?
None of that does Trussle any good. She doesn’t even know whether she will qualify for assistance when it becomes available.
While she received about $80,000 from insurance, that money had to go to her mortgage company to pay off the house note. So all she has now is a slab and a few pilings on vacant land where a 1,300-square-foot, three-bedroom, two-bath house stood for more than 20 years.
“It’s very frustrating,” she said. “I’ve talked to FEMA about getting a grant; I came here to see if (the county) could help. It’s just been no, no, no everywhere I turn.”
James Wilson is hoping to turn the “noes” and “maybes” into “yeses” very soon. The county’s former budget director is now its recovery coordinator.
On Thursday, he finished site visits with the county’s housing program vendor, ACS State and Local Solutions, to set up satellite offices. He plans in November to have the contractor set up with offices on Bolivar Peninsula, the San Leon-Bacliff area and in the county courthouse.
Offices could open in other parts of the county if needed, he said.
By mid-November, he hopes to have those offices operating, with a toll free number and Web site, so residents can apply for assistance.
Galveston City Manager Steve LaBlanc said while the city won’t have its housing management firm hired until the end of the month, the application process for island residents is under way.
Officials have distributed more than 700 applications so far. At least 100 families have completed the 11-page questionnaire.
Not Many Will Qualify
Wilson warned the application is detailed and long. Not everybody who applies will be eligible for assistance, he said.
“What we have learned is that only one of every two people who apply are actually eligible,” Wilson said. “We expecting that only half will be eligible for assistance.”
Income levels and ownership requirements will disqualify many applicants, he said.
Doyle said the county expects no more than 1,800 people will qualify.
Community service groups such as Galveston County Restore and Rebuild will be at the intake centers to help people who don’t qualify, Wilson said.
Restore and Rebuild is a collaborative of social service and faith-based agencies that has been providing house repair services and unmet needs since the storm.
Even though she lost her job after the storm and Social Security is her only income, Trussle said she is not certain she will qualify.
“I don’t really have faith in the (grant money),” she said. “If I am going to rebuild, I am going to have to do it on my own. Maybe I will win the lottery or Publishers Clearing House. It sounds like I will have just as much luck there.”
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When Will Housing Help Come?
Galveston County (except city of Galveston)
Housing program outreach and education: Nov. 6*
Application process starts: Nov. 13*
Contact information and office locations: To be announced during outreach effort
* Dates are tentative
City of Galveston
Application process is under way online at www.cityofgalveston.org and the housing management vendor hired by end of the month
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Tips Before Applying
Information and documents officials suggest you have before applying for housing assistance
1. Current government-issued picture Identification (renew if expired)
2. Receipts, canceled checks and credit card statements to verify purchases of repairs completed on homes
3. Proof of damage document from an entity such as FEMA, SBA or a recognized faith-based organization
4. Evidence of money received from FEMA, SBA or insurance companies
5. Property tax receipt. If not current, initiate a payment plan
6. Stay current on your utility bill to avoid delays when restoring power
7. Any document referencing an identification number for manufactured home units
8. Marriage/Divorce Decree
9. If married, but separated, need contact information for spouse
10. Current mortgage payment coupon or information for lien holders — name, address, phone number
11. Mortgage cancellation document
12. Death certificate of property owners if their name is still on title
13. Current pay stub
14. IRS 1040 Tax Return for 2008
15. Names, birth dates, Social Security numbers of all residents
SOURCE: Galveston County Office for Hurricane Ike recovery
