A year after the devastating July 4 flooding disaster claimed lives, livelihoods, and homes in the Texas Hill Country, the Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country remains committed to helping remaining families return home.
Having raised $150 million to help with the flood recovery efforts, more than $50 million of that money has been committed to helping with housing solutions, the foundation said in a press release. Of that, $35 million so far has been given through grants to organizations that helped with critical housing needs.
“When people have a safe and stable place to live, they can return to work, get their children back into routine, and begin rebuilding a normal life,” the foundation’s CEO Austin Dickson told The Texan.
Through its grants to nonprofits, the foundation has been able to help 130 families return to permanent housing, and another 98 are well along in the process of returning home.
“Recovery does not happen all at once — it happens in phases,” Dickson said.
The Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country didn’t make direct grants to individuals, instead working through experienced nonprofit partners, such as Habitat for Humanity, who in turn provided the needed assistance and funds to get the families into permanent housing. A full list of grant recipients can be found at RebuildKerr.org.
Dickson explained that displaced families sought housing assistance through the Rebuild Kerr website, where they completed an assessment before a case manager then helped assess their needs and a recovery path.
Some of the families needed repairs, while others needed their homes completely rebuilt. Still, others chose not to rebuild their homes, but to get assistance with a down payment for a new home.
In addition to the 130 families that have been aided in their return to permanent housing, the Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country helped 203 families with other housing needs such as replacing furnishings, medical equipment, or vehicles.
Overall, the foundation has given $82 million to organizations that have helped meet the flood recovery needs. In addition to helping families return home, they have funded emergency needs, helped stabilize local businesses, expanded mental health care services, and have begun restoring the Guadalupe River and other community assets, like public parks and sports fields.
“One year after the flood, families are returning home, businesses are reopening, and the community continues to move forward. While significant work remains, the Foundation remains committed to supporting recovery for as long as it takes,” Dickson said.
Leave a Reply