Harvey Multifamily Program to Sponsor Two New Communities

$25M Final Allocation will support new construction in Northside and Southeast Houston

September 21, 2021 -- HOUSTON - The City of Houston Housing and Community Development Department (HCD) has selected two properties to support in the third (final) round of its Harvey Multifamily Program. New Hope Housing Berry will provide 240 affordable homes serving families in the Northside/Northline area. Huntington at Bay Area, a 148-home mixed-income community for seniors, is in a location that will provide affordable options near Clear Lake and other southern communities of Houston. Between these two developments, the City will commit all $25M remaining as part of funding allocated for the Harvey Multifamily Program.

“Building multifamily properties around Houston to replace those lost in Harvey, especially in areas that do not currently have enough multifamily home options, was a main goal of the Harvey Multifamily Program,” said Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner. “With these properties in two distinct areas of the city, families and seniors will have more choice when they stay in their community.”

New Hope Housing Berry - local nonprofit New Hope Housing’s twelfth property within the city of Houston - will create 240 units. The organization has set a strong precedent for providing safe, affordable homes, while ensuring residents have access to key resources and services that they may need. These new garden-style apartments, all (100%) of which will be affordable, will surround outside gathering spaces, and New Hope Housing plans to create a partnership with KIPP Academy, located next door to the property.

Huntington at Bay Area, developed by MGroup Companies, will create 148 one- and two-bedroom apartments for seniors. This development will be the only mixed-income community for seniors in the region. Notably, it will be HCD’s first affordable community located in Council District E since 2015; there have not been any affordable homes built in the area for several years.

With the addition of these two properties, the Harvey Multifamily Program is poised to create 4,754 apartments that include resilient design features and create options for low- and moderate-income Houstonians. The $450M spent by the City generates a 1:2 leverage rate, meaning that each dollar invested by HCD will generate an additional two dollars of development. Program oversight is provided by the Texas General Land Office; funding for the program has been approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in support of replacing and revitalizing homes lost during Hurricane Harvey. The two selected properties are detailed below, and information on all 38 properties selected through the program is updated regularly at recovery.houstontx.gov/multifamily .

The City of Houston Housing and Community Development (HCD) makes long-term investments to better the lives of Houston residents by creating opportunities for every Houstonian to have a home they can afford in a community where they can thrive. Our department will spend approximately $450 million in federal, state, and local funding this fiscal year to construct and maintain affordable homes, reduce barriers to homeownership, support the work of social service providers, build public amenities, and facilitate disaster recovery efforts. Learn more about programs and resources for Houstonians at https://houstontx.gov/housing.