Grants

Rental Reinvestment Program

The City of Temple is committed to improving the quality of life in Temple’s neighborhoods by increasing access to affordable housing. Through the implementation of the Rental Reinvestment Grant program, property owners who meet certain eligibility criteria are given the opportunity to make significant improvements to their rental properties to pass a Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) inspection. Once repairs and inspection are completed, the property will then be added to the list of properties pre-qualified to accept Housing Choice Vouchers.

Incentive grants are available on property located within a Neighborhood Planning District or Low-to-Moderate Income (LMI) neighborhood as defined by HUD. The grants are provided as reimbursements, as a match to the funds disbursed by the Applicant. Only the Applicant’s cash disbursements may be used as a grant match, in-kind contributions may not be used as part of the Applicant’s match.

View more information or apply!

HOMEOWNER ASSISTANCE & RECONSTRUCTION PROGRAM (HARP) GRANT

The City of Temple is currently accepting applications for the HARP Grant. The purpose of this program is to provide homeowners with reconstruction of substandard housing owned and occupied by extremely low, very low, and low-income City of Temple households. The program will help correct problems which pose an immediate threat to the health and safety of the occupants while providing decent, safe and sanitary housing to enhance existing older neighborhoods within the City. The program will ensure that the home meets or exceeds the current local and state property maintenance codes, as required by the level of renovation.

HARP Grant Requirements

Key program requirements include:

• Home/property is located within the corporate city limits of Temple
• The owner of record must be the occupant of the home
• The owner must have occupied the home for the last one (1) year as their primary residence
• Clear title to the property
• Participants must be at least 18 years old and of legal capacity to execute a contract between the homeowner and the contractor for all work required
• The property owner may not owe the City for past property code violations
• Property taxes must be current or on a payment plan
• Homeowner’s insurance is required upon project completion at full replacement value
• The amount of total household income must fall below the 80% of the City of Temple’s Area Median Family Income

Qualified applicants will be placed onto a list, with awardees being chosen at random. We will notify qualified grant recipients of the status of their applications.

WE ARE  NOT ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS AT THIS TIME.

Program administered by the City of Temple through the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs HOME Program.

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HOUSING IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM

The Housing Improvement Program’s (HIP) primary purpose is identify issues which may pose a threat to the health and safety of the home’s occupants and to provide repairs for those issues. Recipients must be of low- and moderate-income (LMI) City of Temple homeowners.

Funding for HIP is provided through the use of the City's General Fund by Community Enhancement Grant recipients, as well as by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) through the federally funded Community Development Block Grant (CDBG). Citizens for Progress serves as a subrecipient for these CDBG funds, while Habitat for Humanity and Zoe's Wings Foundation are Community Enhancement Grant recipients. These organizations will administer the HIP. The program’s goal is to preserve existing housing owned and occupied by low- and moderate-income Temple households and to revitalize existing older neighborhoods within the city.

Homeowners interested in participating in the program must complete a full application and provide copies of documents necessary to determine household and dwelling eligibility. The HIP assists households who earn less than 80% of the area median income for the Killeen/Temple/Fort Hood area. Eligibility for the program will be based on current and anticipated annual income of all persons occupying the home.

Other eligibility requirements:

• Applicant must own the home and be current on all property taxes. Payment plans are acceptable, if proof is provided.
• Cosmetic repairs will not be allowed. Only high priority repairs will be eligible.
• Repair cost cannot exceed 50% of the assessed value of the home.
• Applicant must not owe the City of Temple any outstanding fees.
• Other restrictions may apply.

APPLY

City of Temple In-Kind Support Program

Organizations that currently use City owned facilities, receive staff support, or receive any other in-kind services from the City are required to submit a Request for Partnership Services for continued use or support. Similarly, any organization requesting new in-kind support from the City must submit a Request for Partnership Services.

The City of Temple’s Housing & Community Development Department will receive requests from area organizations who wish to use City owned assets, receive program support from City staff, etc.

Any questions should be addressed to Nancy Glover at 254-298-5997 or nglover@templetx.gov. View more information about this program.

There are not any opportunities available at this time.

The city participates in both entitlement and competitive grants and has recently received grant funding from:

• U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
• U.S. Department of Education
• U.S. Department of Energy
• U.S. Department of Homeland Security
• U.S. Department of Justice
• Governor’s Division of Emergency Management
• Texas Department of Transportation
• Governor’s Advisory Council on Physical Fitness
• Texas State Library and Archives Commission
• Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission
• Federal Aviation Administration,
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
• Texas Commission on Environmental Quality
• National Safe Routes to School
• Railroad Commission of Texas
• State Energy Conservation Office
• ONCOR

Plus other Foundations and Agencies

Community Development Block Grant (CDBG)

The Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program is a Federal program within the purview of Housing and Urban Development that provides communities with resources to address a wide range of community development needs.

The City of Temple is classified by HUD as an Entitlement Community. As such, the city is allocated annual grant funding to maintain and develop community services for city residents. The city uses the CDBG funds for projects that support access to decent housing, suitable living environments, and opportunities to expand economic opportunities, principally for low and moderate-income persons. In the past, the city has used CDBG funding to:

• Create pedestrian-friendly and safer streetscapes
• To demolish blighted structures
• To rehabilitate private residences for handicap accessibility
• Create or enhance Public Parks with greater resources for the community
• In partnership with non-profits, provided services to low and moderate-income people through access to child care for working families, workforce readiness training, meals for the elderly and disabled, and assistance to victims of domestic violence.

Partners include many homeowners, public services agencies, city department staff, and many local businesses.

 

Bend Of the River Master Plan

In 2015, the City received $150,000 from the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) to develop a Master Plan (and clean-up implementation plan) that has a focus on community engagement and education for improved health outcomes at the Bend of the River Brownfield site. This transformative project will result in the creation of a Botanical Garden, which will be a vibrant community asset that will drive environmental, social, and economic justice through remediation and development.

CNG Station

In December 2012, the city initiated the process of converting part of our Solid Waste fleet to operate on compressed natural gas (CNG). To cover the incremental cost difference between 14 CNG-powered trucks and diesel-powered trucks, the city applied for funding from Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, Texas Railroad Commission, and the State Energy Conservation Office. The city received funds from all agencies, totaling $662,184 in grant funds, of which the city will be reimbursed for $550,272 in project costs. CNG-powered Solid Waste trucks have saved the city $10,000 in fuel costs monthly, per vehicle.

Surface Transportation Enhancement Program (STEP)

In 2010, the city was awarded $2.155 million in funding from the Texas Department of Transportation as part of its Surface Transportation Enhancement program. The total project cost is $2.75 million and includes an approximately 3,000-foot-long, 10-foot wide pedestrian and bicycle trail, lighting, median improvements, landscaping, and streetscape as part of the critical interconnected network of trails within the Temple Medical and Education District (TMED).

The linear trail on South 5thStreet provides multi-modal connectivity between multiple entities including Scott and White Hospital, Temple College, the Central Texas Veterans Healthcare System, Temple Bioscience District, and A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine. The expected completion for this project is spring 2014.

Safe Routes to School

In 2010, the city was the recipient of 2 Safe Routes to School Grants from the Texas Department of Transportation. These grants allowed the city to construct more than 1 ½ miles of 10-foot wide, off-street pedestrian and bicycle trails. These funds were made possible through the Federal Safe Routes to School program. Objectives of the program were to enable and encourage children in grades K - 8 to walk and bike to school, as well as to make these modes of transportation safer and a more appealing alternative, encouraging a healthy and active lifestyle from an early age. Approximately $602,000 was awarded for trail improvements at Lakewood Elementary School and $605,000 for improvements at Bonham Middle School. This project was completed in fall 2013.