Contributed photo
Contributed photo
The Greater Houston Partnership has launched the Houston Harris County Winter Storm relief fund, a disaster recovery assistance program established by the City of Houston and Harris County.
The funds will be facilitated by the United Way of Greater Houston (UWGH) and Greater Houston Community Foundation (GHCF), who will focus on providing assistance with plumbing and home repair issues such as busted pipes and water damage. According to the Houston Harris County Winter Storm relief fund website, efforts will focus on the most vulnerable families in Houston regardless of immigration status; these include households without insurance or who are ineligible for federal assistance.
During the winter storm event, reports found that 2-1-1, a helpline established for elderly and handicapped individuals needing evacuation assistance during disaster events, responded to approximately 12,000 calls for assistance. Over 5,000 of those calls were from the Harris County area.
The relief fund's grants committee, which facilitates grants to nonprofit partners, is co-chaired by Tony Chase, Chairman and CEO of ChaseSource and a GHCF board member, alongside Donna Sims Wilson, chief operating officer of Kah Capitol and a UWGH board member. Fellow committee members include Laura Jaramillo, GHCF board member; Y. Ping Sun, UWGH board member; Renee Wizig-Barrios, GHCF board member; Mary Vazquez, UWGH board member; Diana Zarzuelo, GHCF board member; and Angel Harris, UWGH board member.
The relief fund's Advisory Board members include Dave Lesar, president and CEO of CenterPoint Energy; Ric Campo of Camden Property Trust; Jim Crane from the Houston Astros; Harris County Precinct 4 Commissioner Bill Jackson; Jason Johnson of MetroNational; Scott McClelland with H-E-B; Cal McNair of the Houston Texans; Jacob Monty from Monty & Ramirez LLP; and Gretchen Watkins of Shell Oil Co.
The relief fund's website reported the first wave of grants may be recommended by the grants committee and approved by the advisory board within 30 days of the fund’s launch.
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