City cuts ribbon on Harvey-damaged apartments, and thousands more are coming

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — Sweating on a hot Wednesday, but still smiling, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner cut the ribbon on the newly re-opened Bellfort Park apartments surrounded by some of the families who’ve moved back home.

The 64-unit complex was damaged in Hurricane Harvey, and rebuilt with $3.5 million from the federal Harvey recovery program.

While the city lost control of the single family rebuilding program, it kept control of the apartment side, which is showing progress.

“Oftentimes, renters are not a priority,” Turner said at the event. “We’ve kind of changed that paradigm, because for these 64 units that have been around for 60 years, this has been your home.”

“My kitchen is the bomb,” resident Sade Horn said as she bragged about her newly-renovated apartment with expanded closet space for her and her family. “Everything is new!”

According to the city’s Housing and Community Development Department, Bellfort Park was the first complex to reach completion, but renovations on six other Harvey-damaged complexes are underway and have started leasing.

All of those complexes will be home to 649 more families, the vast majority paying subsidized “affordable” rents.

The city projects 4,428 units will eventually be completed through the $450 million program.