It’s been nearly five years since a severe winter storm in February 2021 dropped record snow and ice in Texas and caused hundreds of billions of damage in the state. But federal money is still available to homeowners and multifamily owners who can prove they still need to repair damage that can be tied back to the storm.
The City of Fort Worth received the federal Community Development Block Grant in 2023 and has until 2030 to spend the money.
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The city opened applications in March for the first phase of the program, limited to residents who applied through the city’s program for story-related water damage, but who had received little or no assistance due to funding limits.
Applications opened in August for the second phase and will close Nov. 25. This application is open to any resident who can document damages related to the 2021 winter storm.
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Applicants can prove damage through photos, contractor invoices, receipts, or documentation from assistance they received from other programs, said Scott Daniels, a city spokesman.
“In addition, our contractors have been trained to help determine whether repairs are consistent with freeze-related damage,” Daniels said.
Jerin Smith, city of Fort Worth program manager for disaster recovery, updated members of the city’s Community Development Council at their Nov. 12 meeting.
The program — HARRP, or Homeowners Assistance Repair and Rehabilitation Program — provides grants to those who experienced damage from the storm. To qualify, the following criteria must be met:
Be a Fort Worth resident.
Own the home.
Be the primary resident.
Make 80% or below area median income.
Have damage that ties back to the storm.
Reside in a single-family unit.
Check the city site here for information about applying, or call 817-392-7540.
The City of Fort Worth’s grant was a total $27 million, and it has so far allocated $6,795,400 for HARRP, Daniels said. “Since March 2025, more than 400 applications have been submitted,” he said.
Federal money also for repairs related to damage from Uri is still available to multifamily owners through MHRP, or Multifamily Housing Recovery Program.
The city also is using CDBG money to support activities that increase resilience to disasters and reduce or eliminate long-term risks to life, property and well-being from natural hazards. The city will use these funds to purchase and install generators at three community centers: Riverside, Worth Heights and Handley-Meadowbrook. A total $750,000 will go to opening another salt storage building to be used on roads with ice. A brine machine and tank will be purchased as well. The city has until 2030 to spend the money.
Sandra Stanley, founder of Opening Doors for Women in Need, asked if help was available to applicants who need guidance in filling out the application. She also suggested a survey be given once repairs are made. Keisha Light, assistant neighborhood service director, responded that case workers can help clients, and she liked the idea of surveys.
The Community Development Council was established in 1974 to assist the City Council in setting priorities for projects to be initiated with federal funding and complying with federal grant requirements. The council serves as an advisory board appointed by the City Council.
Lisa Gayle Markham is a member of the Fort Worth Report’s Documenters crew. Scott Nishimura, a Fort Worth Report senior editor, contributed reporting to this story.
If you believe anything in these notes is inaccurate, please email us at news@fortworthreport.org with “Correction Request” in the subject line.
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