Harvey Multifamily Program

Percentage of Houstonians who rent their homes

Percentage of households affected by Harvey were renters

On average, renter households struggle to find affordable options more than homeowners. 46% of renter households spend 30% or more of their monthly income on housing. 23% spend 50% or more. Three-fifths of children live in rental units. So do two-thirds of Houston’s foreign-born population.

Houston was short on affordable multifamily homes before Hurricane Harvey. Now, our need is even more urgent. The Harvey Multifamily Program will create and rehabilitate multifamily apartment homes. These new and refurbished units will stay affordable to low- and moderate-income residents for at least 40 years.

Map of Selected Developments

The first round of funding for multifamily development opened in February 2019 and closed April 12, 2019. Fifty-six applications were reviewed and 15 were selected for funding. The selected developments will create 1,604 apartments in Houston, the majority of which will be rented at guaranteed-affordable rates to qualified renters.

The second round for multifamily development opened in January 2020 and closed March 13, 2020. From the pool of applications, 15 were selected for funding, announced in two periods in June, 2020. The selected developments will create 1,944 apartment units. With these awards, nearly all program funding has been exhausted.

In total, the 30 projects that have received funding will create over 3,500 units, including over 3,100 units reserved for low- and moderate-income households. By combining program funding with other sources, including 4% and 9% tax credits and private financing, the awards represent over $1 billion in development.

Funding Timeline

June 2019	September 2019	January 2020	June 2020
1^st round applications	1^st round projects announced	2^nd round applications	2^rd round applications announced

million will create 3,500 units by 2024

Applicants applied to this program through a series of Notices of Funding Availability (NOFAs) and application periods. Information about these NOFAs can be found on the contracting page.

Requirements

Developments must:

Rent at least half of their units to low-income renters for at least 20 years.
Give workers protections as laid out in the Build Houston Better Program .
Align with the City’s Multifamily Development Principles.
Manage Davis-Bacon, Section 3, and MWSBE requirements.
Comply with green building standards.

The City prioritizes developments that:

Leverage other financing sources.
Create mixed income housing opportunities.
Are close to public transit and highly rated schools.
Reinvest in Complete Communities and other Community Reinvestment Areas.
Are located in areas where real estate values are rising and where many moderate- and low-income residents need affordable options.
Protect from future flooding and climate concerns.

For details, please see our Compliance page

News

5 Additional Properties Added to Round 2 of the City’s Harvey Multifamily Program, Creating Another 700 Rental Units for Houstonians

HOUSTON – The City of Houston Housing and Community Development Department (HCDD) will allocate an additional $54,560,000 to support five more proposals to bring over…

City of Houston selects 4 more developments that create affordable apartments with federal funds for Harvey recovery

Round 1 of the City’s Harvey Multifamily Program includes $163 million of investment that will create 1,604 apartments Houston will soon have many more affordable,…

Disaster Recovery (DR-17) Multifamily Rental Program Guidelines

Draft Guidelines for Proposed Programs: Hurricane Harvey The City of Houston will receive $1,175,954,338 in Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funds for assisting…

Application Log & Documents

The first of three rounds of funding for multifamily development opened in February 2019 and closed April 12, 2019. Fifty-six applications were reviewed and 15 were selected for funding. The selected developments will create 1,604 apartments in Houston, the majority of which will be rented at guaranteed-affordable rates to qualified renters.

Document Name	Last Updated
Program Overview	November 4th, 2019
Program Guidelines	April 30th, 2020
Application Log: 2019 Multifamily NOFA (DR-17)	April 23rd, 2019
2019 Multifamily NOFA (DR-17) Map	May 2019