Case Studies

The Texas General Land Office (GLO) in partnership with FEMA provided temporary housing units to individuals displaced by Hurricane Harvey for an initial period of eighteen months; a first for the agency. 

Objective:

The locally led program provided temporary sheltering services in the form of Manufactured Housing Units (MHU), Travel Trailers and Direct Leased apartments to over 3,000 Texans. The overall program goal was to ensure each applicant obtained and progressed towards a permanent housing solution.

Term:

18 Months

Services Provided:

Case Management: GMC provided Case Management services and ensured compliance of program rules and regulations through a recertification process. GMC Case Managers outlined program requirements to applicants upon receipt of their temporary housing units where required documentation was signed as acknowledgment of adherence to predetermined program guidelines. Applicants met regularly with Case Managers to: (1) assess the status of their recovery efforts, (2) determine the need for additional resources, and (3) receive direction on the activities that needed to be completed in order to remain eligible for the program. 

Once a permanent housing plan was finalized for an applicant, the final phase of the program then took place, where preparation to move out of the temporary housing unit was made. In the rare occasion of an applicant being deemed “non-compliant”, a  Notice to Vacate was issued and Case Management staff collaborated with outside agencies to ensure a successful transition was made.

The Homeowner Assistance Program, an effort led by the Texas General Land Office (GLO) assists homeowners repair and rebuild their homes across 48 counties. The program is classified as the single largest housing program under the State’s recovery plan  with funding of $1.3 billion dollars from the  U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s CBDG-DR funding and is expected to rebuild approximately 7,000 homes.

Objective:

The program’s overall goal is designed to help repair and reconstruct owner-occupied single-family homes damaged by Hurricane Harvey.

Term:

2018-Current

Services Provided:

Case Management

GMC provides Case Management, Outreach and Community Engagement services for the HAP program with creating Affirmatively furthering Fair Housing centered Marketing and Outreach Plans, Regional Housing Guidelines and Needs Assessments that is being utilized in the planning and implementation phases of the program. Serving as a Case Management vendor, GMC provides trained case management personnel located in Homeowner Assistance Centers (HAC) to assist individuals impacted by Hurricane Harvey navigate the program. Case Managers work with applicants through each phase of the program that begins with intake interviews to determine eligibility that requires the collection of documents and ends in the overall goal of home repair or replacement.  

Additionally, GMC served as the only Outreach Vendor for Harris County and the City of Houston. Here, GMC strategized effective methods to inform, recruit and retain potential applicants for the program.

HUD allocated $3.1 billion in funding to respond to the needs of Texans affected by Hurricanes Ike and Dolly that took place in 2008. The Homeowner Opportunity Program or (HOP) was created as a Disaster Recovery Housing Program that provided the opportunity for income qualified applicants who lived in FEMA-designated “High Risk” areas to elect to relocate to a safer area with higher opportunities to include but not limited to employment, education and environment.

Objective:

The program was designed to receive more than 10,000 applications for an estimated 4,000 homes from which the pool of eligible participants was generated.

Term:

2011-2015

Services Provided:

Housing Relocation:  GMC was the lead agency in providing system wide program design, case management services, curriculum development and training for the entire program which served 17 geographically different Texas counties.

After disaster strikes, priority is placed on ensuring emergency response operations can be executed without delay. The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) placed emphasis on ensuring a re-entry process for the public was accomplished through the clearing of state roads. Monitoring debris removal work involves constant observation of crews to ensure that workers are performing eligible work in accordance with Public Assistance guidelines, and helps to verify compliance with all applicable Federal, State, and local regulations.

Objective:

As a result of Hurricane Harvey, GMC assisted TxDOT, and the City of Port Aransas with its debris removal monitoring ground efforts in Corpus Christi, Beaumont and Port Aransas.

Term:

9/2017 – 1/18

Services Provided:

Debris Removal Monitoring: GMC provided Debris Removal Monitors, Supervisors and project support for the effort. GMC recruited, trained, and managed over 25 monitors while Project Support Administrators ensured ongoing recruitment and reconciled daily reporting and managed staff. Debris Monitors were fully trained on FEMA guidelines. 

The Texas Department of Transportation is working to increase capacity, relieve congestion, and improve mobility and safety through downtown Houston. As a result of the project, thousands of residents and businesses will  be impacted.

Objective:

TxDOT created an add on to it’s normal Right of Way process to include Enhanced Relocation services to individuals impacted by the North Houston Highway Improvement Project (NHHIP).

Term:

2020 – Present

Services Provided:

Relocation: 

GMC is currently working on a nationally recognized project called the North Houston Highway Improvement Project (NHHIP), that is being funded by the United States Federal Highway Administration and then managed by The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT). This 7 billion dollar highway expansion project is in its third phase, impacting parcel owners, businesses, and residents called “impacted displacees.” There will be approximately 1000 impacted displacees relocated as this project is the largest transportation project in the State of Texas most recent  history. 

GMC has been given the opportunity to provide Enhanced Relocation Services to those impacted by the project. Each phase of this project will impact displacees of all socioeconomic statuses who have different barriers, hardships, and lifestyles. As an Enhanced Relocation Service Provider, GMC is responsible for the intake, identification, assessment and management of individuals who enter into the program. These needs are remedied by providing wrap-around services aimed to assist displacees with both housing and non-housing related needs in order to circumvent future housing instability and homelessness. Case Management teams on this project  are working with a population of displacees who hold Tenant Protection Vouchers (TPV) and currently reside in housing managed by the Houston Housing Authority (HHA). This population include single mothers with children, domestic violence victims, senior citizens, those with COVID-19 related impacts, unemployed and underemployed residents. Additionally we serve  displacees who are undocumented, have a limited English proficiency and have Veteran status. Being able to understand and address the needs of different populations is an essential component of effective Case Management and a skill set that GMC has perfected through the years. GMC approaches Case Management as a multi-step process to include the following processes: intake, assessment of needs, service planning, service coordination, monitoring and follow-up, in addition to assisting clients to access and maintain specific services. 

The Houston Housing and Community Development Department required two emergency relocations for residents residing at apartment complexes within the City of Houston. The complexes were previously foreclosed, leaving over 500 low-income families without water and utilities. The property management company that remained began unlawfully collecting rent subsidies and was subsequently arrested on the property.

Objective:

Provide assistance for housing relocation for 300 residents in two apartment complexes.

Services Provided:

Housing Relocation: GMC was responsible for the following: 

• Implementing an emergency relocation plan. 
• Creating notifications to tenants of the relocation process.
• Providing door to door outreach to resident families daily. 
• Hiring moving companies. 
• Locating storage facilities. 
• Locating available low-income housing. 
• Utility transfers 
• Coordinating moving activities with moving company on behalf of family. 
• Negotiating lease agreements for displaces with difficult renting history. 
• Ensuring all 300 families were relocated successfully.
• Reporting
• Rental Payments 
• Coordinated the clearing out of squatters who were illegally on the premises. 
• Disseminating final notices with police escorts. 

The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) administered rental housing assistance for thousands of eligible residents affected by Gulf Coast hurricanes. 

Objective:

HUD used its extensive national network of Public Housing Authorities (PHA) to provide housing assistance and case management services for eligible families to assist them to achieve self-sufficiency. 

Term:

2009 – 2012

Services Provided:

Case Management: GMC has experience working in the City of Port Arthur with the Disaster Housing Assistance Program (DHAP) under the auspices of the Port Arthur Housing Authority. It was here GMC was awarded a contract to conduct Case Management Services for more than 1,800 low-income families and provided technical advertisement to the Housing Authority. During this time, GMC was able to develop a program model specific to meeting those hard-to-reach families’ needs. GMC provided case management services via the DHAP-Ike Program with the Port Arthur Housing Authority covering Jefferson and Orange Counties. GMC recruited, hired and trained 50 FT/PT staff. 

GMC Consultants, LLC was awarded a contract funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) through the Texas Health and Human Service Commission and monitored by Lutheran Social Services Disaster Response Services to provide disaster case management services for the Recovery for Ike Survivors Enterprise (RISE). 

Objective:

Provide case management support to thousands of survivors of Hurricane IKE.

Term:

2009-2012

Services Provided:

Case Management: GMC was one of 10 partner agencies who worked within the RISE project which was designed to provide support to more than 13,000 survivors of Hurricane IKE. GMC was given the opportunity to work in the areas of Brazoria, Walker, Galveston and Montgomery Counties where more than 1,100 families were served. On staff, GMC had 34 full time employees that included: case managers, program managers, community outreach coordinators and IT specialists. GMC trained staff on case management principles customized specifically for this project involving: application intake, client interviewing, documentation gathering, and community outreach and resource referral.

In accordance with Texas Education Code 37.108, the Harris County Education Department and Lufkin Independent School District implemented Safe and Secure Audits.

Objective:

Provided audits to assist the district in identifying safety and security practices, policies and needs of a facility and make recommendations to help the school create the safest environment possible for students and faculty. 

Term:

2017

Services Provided:

Program Development and Implementation: GMC provided auditing services to the districts to advance safe and secure environments for learning and teaching.  Through its auditing services, GMC was able to assist the school districts in making policy improvements to include best practices, train staff and ensure confidence in its safety protocols to students, faculty and parents. GMC was responsible for the following activities:

• Criteria for Standards and Promising Practices
• Emergency Management Planning and Operations
• Communications, Coordination and Business Continuity 
• Training and Certification Programs
• Assessments, Reviews and Audits
• Safe and Secure Learning and Teaching Environment 

Special consideration was given to Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing to ensure equal opportunity, efforts to guarantee accessibility to program information through consistent messaging and congruent outreach methods to targeted populations.

Objective:

Bring awareness to the Homeowner Assistance Program and highlight and push the message that help is available to those in need.

Term:

2018 – Present

Services Provided:

Community Outreach: GMC provides Community Outreach services to build and maintain strong community relationships and bridge gaps due to external factors utilizing Neighborhood, Community and Stakeholder Engagement. As a result of engagement and relationships, the team has been able to engage with communities and organizations to provide awareness regarding the Homeowner Assistance Program. 

GMC created an outreach plan that began with stakeholder and community leader outreach to let them know our role in the program and the services the program offered. This fostered a relationship that allowed these organizations to endorse our efforts that eliminated program skepticism. GMC effectively communicates in several languages and in a variety of community outlets to make individuals aware of the program and how to apply for services.