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Vol. 2, Issue 8 – 02.26.21
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| WINTER STORM RECOVERY RESOURCES
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| For free disaster relief legal assistance & information, visit Texas Law Help’s website.For helpful information from Lone Star Legal Aid as to what FEMA assistance can provide, click here. |
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| Individuals and business owners who sustained losses in designated counties can begin applying for assistance by registering online.If you do not have internet access, you may also apply by calling 1-800-621-3362 or 1-800-462-7585 TTY. |
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Update from Harris County Appraisal District (HCAD):
Homeowners can receive a temporary exemption of a portion of their property taxes if their property was at least 15% damaged by the winter storm. May 28 is the deadline to apply. For the application form, click here. For more info, review their press release, contact HCAD at 713-957-7800, or email [email protected]. |
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| Please call 311 to request storm debris removal!
Due to widespread damage to many homes during last week’s winter storm, the Department of Neighborhoods (DON) Inspections and Public Service (IPS) division will suspend heavy trash code enforcement, effective immediately through Friday, March 12, 2021 to allow residents adequate time to clear debris from their properties. The department will resume heavy trash code enforcement on March 15, 2021.
For information about heavy trash codes and guidelines, visit www.houstonsolidwaste.org. |
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| If your Recycling Day was on Mon 2/15, pickup was missed due to the winter storm. Please have your recycling container outside for pickup on Monday 3/1. |
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From Public Works:
Don’t stress over your water bills after the winter storm. Please pay what you paid on your last bill until automatic adjustments can be applied. Payments can be made through:
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From Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUC):
In an emergency open meeting 2/21, PUC commissioners issued a series of orders intended to protect Texas electricity customers while state leaders consider solutions for the financial aftershocks of the winter storm grid event. Read more here. |
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Update from Crowdspource Rescue:
The assistance form for the Texas Winter Storm has been closed. WE WILL NOT BE CLOSING EXISTING TICKETS AND ARE STILL DELIVERING TO THEM. We will only begin directing new requests to long-term resources, including our own.
Available resources:
The Houston community is still dedicated to assisting survivors of the winter storm, including our own food insecurity program located at crowdsourcerescue.org/covid. |
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| Thank you to Patrick Hoang and Fish-N-Pets Unlimited for providing free filtered water to our community! If you are in need of water and have transportation, please bring your water container here to be filled up! |
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| Individuals in need of plumbers and trade professionals can access the AFL-CIO Texas Gulf Coast’s database. Plumbers Local 68 has a clearing house website called Plumbers 911 that connects folks with union contractors.
Those without internet access can call: 713-999-6829. |
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| The GHBA has a list of members here (searchable by the type of professional you need).
They also have a disaster resource page to help homeowners rebuild with confidence. Articles on the page cover topics from tips for avoiding scammers when contracting for repairs to documentation for insurance best practices: |
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From the Department of Neighborhoods:
Help neighbors recover from the recent winter storm! Sign up to be contacted about future volunteer opportunities with local nonprofits to help clean homes damaged in the storm and assist with the distribution of water, food, and clothing. Sign up here. |
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| UPDATE: Subscribers of AlertHouston’s HoustonRecovers subscription were notified on Wednesday 2/24 of 1,000 new vaccine appointment slots from the Houston Health Department. The new slots were filled in approximately four minutes. Another notification was sent out to subscribers yesterday of 1,800 new appointment slots and they were filled within six minutes. Learn about new appointment opportunities through email, text message, voice call, or mobile app push notification by registering for the HoustonRecovers subscription of AlertHouston at http://AlertHouston.org.To check for updates from other vaccine hubs in Houston and Harris County, click here. |
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| Residents with disabilities who would like more information on the vaccine—please refer to this reference card. |
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You are invited to participate in a survey to collect information about COVID-19 vaccine eligibility. This online survey should take about 2-10 minutes to complete. Participation is voluntary, and responses will be kept confidential to the degree permitted by the technology being used.
If you qualify for the COVID-19 vaccine under Phase 1A or 1B, please provide the District F office with your information so that we can keep you updated on vaccine availability. This data will be shared with the Houston Health Department.
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- FREE Drive-Thru COVID-19 Testing at Crump Stadium – 12321 Alief Clodine Rd, 77082
- NO APPOINTMENT NEEDED
- Español
- Tiếng Việt
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The Houston-Harris County Emergency Rental Assistance Program is a $159 million joint program of the City of Houston and Harris County, designed to assist renters experiencing housing instability or who are at risk of homelessness as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Any rental property (apartments AND houses) within the City of Houston or Harris County may participate.
Renters and landlords may apply at HoustonHarrisHelp.org. Households approved for the program are eligible to receive rental assistance for past-due rent from April 2020 onward, for months in which no other rental assistance has been received, not to exceed 12 months total. Households may also be eligible for up to two months of future rental support, as well as utility assistance for past due electricity, gas, or water bills.
New to this round of rent relief is that if a renter’s landlord refuses to participate, direct payment will be sent to the renter. For the fact sheet and answers to frequently asked questions in multiple languages, review our newsletter from 2/25. For telephone assistance, call 832-402-7568.
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| The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has extended the federal eviction moratorium through March 31st. In order to be covered by this moratorium, you must sign and submit a declaration to your landlord. The updated moratorium and declaration are available here in English, Spanish, Vietnamese, Chinese, Arabic, Urdu, and French. |
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FROM THE OFFICE OF BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY (OBO):
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the City of Houston took action to assist small businesses economically and financially by creating the Small Business Economic Relief Program (SBERP). The program, developed by the Office of Business Opportunity, allocated $35 million of federal CARES Act dollars to provide grant dollars to eligible small businesses and chambers of commerce operating within the limits of the City of Houston.
The SBERP helped 1,072 small businesses sustain their operations with the average grant amount totaling $30,000. Recipients of the grant included micro-businesses with five or less employees, as well as businesses that were not able to obtain any other type of financial assistance from |
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