Texas residents washed out by last year's Hurricane Ike are
on edge this month, hoping and waiting for news about Federal
stimulus-package dollars that are slated for use in coastal
Texas in the form of rebuilding grants for homeowners, the
Galveston County Daily News reported on October 11
("
Rebuilding grant delays frustrating homeowners," by T. J.
Aulds).
Officials announced in February that Federal money from the
Community Development Block Grant program would be coming
— $165 million for Galveston County, and $267 million
for the City of Galveston. Almost two-thirds of that money is
intended to help displaced homeowners repair or rebuild their
homes. But so far, "not one single dollar has been spent,"
reports the Daily News. "In fact, the city of Galveston and the
county are just in the early stages of getting their housing
programs up and running." Paperwork problems and unfamiliar
rules are the stumbling blocks, reports the Daily News.
Even when the money is released, thousands of homeowners
will not be eligible for help, according to the Daily News
report. Galveston County Commissioner Pat Doyle told the paper
that he expects only 1,800 applicants in his jurisdiction will
qualify. And he's asking people to be patient with slow
progress on releasing the funds. Says Doyle:
"“It’s just a difficult process, and
it’s something we have never done before, so you have
that learning curve to deal with.”