CDBG CARES Act (CDBG-CV)

Overview

The Community Development Block Grant CARES Act (CDBG-CV) program is designed to help Texans respond to and recover from the impacts of COVID-19. The Governor of the State of Texas has designated the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA) as the administrator of CDBG-CV to prevent, prepare for, and respond to the spread of COVID-19. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has awarded TDHCA a total of $141,846,258 in CDBG-CV funds.

Texas Community Resiliency Program (CRP) (October 1, 2021)

TDHCA released a Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) on October 1, 2021, for approximately $38 million for the Community Resiliency Program. The Community Resiliency Program targets projects serving low-and-moderate income areas, as well as rural and small metro communities, to address the social and economic impacts of coronavirus and to improve access to social services and healthcare. Community Resiliency Program funds allow low- and moderate-income areas, and rural and small metro communities to address gaps in their ability to prepare, prevent and respond to COVID-19 or a future pandemic. Funds allow communities to create, expand, or enhance public facilities that provide medical care, social services, and/or emergency housing and increase the community’s long-term resiliency and ability to mitigate future coronavirus outbreaks. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, homeless emergency shelters, health clinics/facilities, medical facilities, domestic violence facilities, and senior centers have been required to reduce capacity and services to clients, and establish non-congregate shelter options to adhere to CDC guidelines and social distancing. Many rural and smaller urban areas lack capacity in these critical areas, which limited a quick and effective response to the pandemic. Existing public facility structures can be modified with these funds to prevent the transmission of the coronavirus and allow for adequate social distancing or remote access. Further, few rural and small metro areas have had the opportunity to implement mobile response units or emergency medical services that would have a positive impact on their capability to reach certain households. CDBG-CV funds are eligible to be used for activities that help augment a community’s ability to be more resilient in preparing for and responding to future pandemics.

CDBG CARES (CDBG-CV) Eligible Activities to prevent, prepare for, or respond to Coronavirus:

Public Facilities and Improvements – Acquisition, Rehabilitation, and/or New Construction
Public Services – Mobile food pantries, Mobile Health Clinics, Mobile Response Units

The Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) and all Application materials are available at https://www.tdhca.state.tx.us/CDBG/CRP.htm.

Texas Emergency Mortgage Assistance Program (TEMAP)

CLOSED January 4, 2023

TDHCA made CDBG CARES funds available through a competitive application process to cities, counties, local and regional nonprofits and regional organizations to provide mortgage assistance in their jurisdictions, service areas or target. Through TEMAP’s competitive process, local service providers have been awarded funds to assist homeowners at or below 80% of the Area Medium Income who have been economically impacted by COVID-19 to help provide housing stability during the pandemic. Homeowners should contact a service provider in their area for assistance. Mortgage Assistance Providers are listed on the TEMAP webpage.

Assistance for Providers for Persons with Disabilities

Portal CLOSED August 31, 2021

Community Development Block Grant CARES Funds (CDBG-CV) were made available to reimburse eligible residential providers for costs incurred in response to COVID-19. Approximately $4.5 million in assistance was made available statewide through MHMR Tarrant and The Harris Center who are administering the management and distribution of these funds for TDHCA. Eligible costs for reimbursement included:

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for staff and residents
Increased staffing costs
Costs associated with quarantining residents in hotels/ motels

The opportunity for providers to apply for funding was open from June 14, 2021, to August 31, 2021. The application portal including FAQs can be found at: https://www.cdbgtx.com/FAQ.html.

For more information about this program, please visit https://www.cdbgtx.com/ or contact Molly Hurst at molly.hurst@mhmrtc.org.

Legal Services for Persons with Disabilities

CLOSED July 31, 2022

These funds have been dedicated to assisting people with disabilities with addressing legal issues associated with housing issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Disability Rights Texas (DRTx) is administering the program statewide on TDHCA’s behalf, with approximately $445,000 in funding. DRTx is assisting individuals with disabilities to protect their rights related to housing by taking action to:

Divert or stop the eviction process;
Obtain disability related accommodations to ensure continued housing security, including release from leases to protect credit and future housing opportunities;
Provide self-advocacy tools

Disability Rights Texas
www.disabilityrightstx.org/
(512) 454-4816

Food Distribution

CLOSED November 30, 2022

Food distribution funds are dedicated to addressing statewide food and nutrition needs related to COVID-19 through Feeding Texas, a network of food banks and other hunger-relief organizations covering the entire state.

TDHCA is contracting directly with Feeding Texas to administer the program, providing approximately $30 million in CDBG-CV funds for the purchase of bulk food. Feeding Texas operates a network of 21 member food banks, and addresses the food and nutrition needs of all 254 Texas counties. The 21 food banks work with more than 3,000 local partners to distribute food statewide. Feeding Texas will act as a pass-through to their member food banks.

For more information about Feeding Texas and the services provided, visit: https://www.feedingtexas.org/

Texas Emergency Rental Assistance Program (TERAP)

CLOSED January 14, 2022

TERAP provides rental assistance to income-eligible households impacted by COVID-19 to help them stay housed during the pandemic. The program can pay up to six months of an eligible household's rent, including rental arrears, with at least one of those months covering a month of future rent. Funds can be utilized to provide the Texas Eviction Diversion Program (TEDP) which provides rental assistance to tenants who have been sued for eviction, providing the landlord and tenant an alternative to eviction.