The City of Baytown

Following Hurricanes Ike and Dolly in 2008, the State of Texas created the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Disaster Recovery Grant Program to provide financial assistance for communities to recover from the devastation of the storms. The City of Baytown is a grant recipient under this program for non-housing, public infrastructure projects. To date, the City has been awarded $17,257,313 for improvements to the sewer system, hardening of public buildings, and repairs at the Baytown Area Water Authority.  The City is submitted an application to the Texas General Land Office for additional disaster funding for Round 2.2 of the grant program.  A public hearing was held on November 21, 2011 to review the proposed project.  Click here for the public hearing notice.

 

During the process of administering the initial funding rounds, housing advocates initiated a lawsuit against the State of Texas for distributing the grant funds without consideration of equitable and fair housing for low to moderate income persons. An agreement was reached between the two parties, which among other things, required the State to conduct an Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing (AI) and to develop a Fair Housing Plan. Communities who wish to apply for Round 2 funding must identify fair housing impediments within the community and proposed steps for addressing those impediments. 

The State of Texas developed the Fair Housing Activity Statement – Texas (FHAST) Form for jurisdictions to complete. The FHAST Form lists the state's identified impediments and requires each jursidiction to provide steps that will affirmatively further fair housing.  The State also requires the formation of a FHAST Work Group. The FHAST Work Group is the entity responsible for completing the FHAST Form and proposing steps to address fair housing impediments. On September 8, 2011, the Mayor appointed the existing Community Development Advisory Committee (CDAC), along with two Planning & Development Services staff members as the FHAST Work Group.

 

The FHAST Form has been approved by the Texas General Land Office.