13 Investigates: Harris Co. fires company paid $1.3M for Harvey recovery program

HARRIS COUNTY, Texas (KTRK) — The company in charge of outreach and application intake for Harris County’s Hurricane Harvey recovery program was fired on Friday.

Virginia-based ICF International was notified in a termination letter on Dec. 6 that it would no longer be needed for “disaster recovery program operations, support, intake and outreach services” for Harris County’s Project Recovery program.

The letter doesn’t mention performance issues, instead citing a “convenience” clause in ICF’s contract. ICF, which is a public company that is not a governmental agency, was hired by the county in February.

Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo said the county “did not see the sense of urgency or the results we needed to see by any means.”

“The programs they were working on were incredibly important recovery programs for folks who suffered during Hurricane Harvey who are waiting for support. Incredibly heartbreaking stories, and we couldn’t afford to have a vendor that wasn’t delivering,” Hidalgo said.

However, in a statement to 13 Investigates, ICF said it stands by its work. The company disagrees with how broadly the county characterizes its role within the program, saying that ICF is responsible for less than a third of the “multistep, complex process.”

“We understand that there are elements of the program – mostly outside of our limited scope – that could help things move faster for county residents. We worked diligently with the County to recommend those elements, but ultimately the County opted to move in their own direction instead,” the company said in its statement. Read ICF’s full statement at the end of the story.

Read the termination letter – on a mobile device? Click here to open.

The firing comes after 13 Investigates reported two weeks ago that not a single homeowner had received aid from the county’s $800 million program for Harvey storm victims.

“I wasted hundreds (of dollars) in gas money alone gathering and delivering documents to them,” said Drew Gadd, who applied for aid earlier this year. “I feel let down really. … People like me will lose everything.”