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.”
