There is really no other way to characterize the plan Governor Perry submitted to HUD to spend $1.7 billion in federal disaster recovery funds.
The Texas plan is to take money away from those suffering and in need to give to those not in need – reverse Robin Hood.
HUD’s research, summarized in the map presented here, makes clear that the State of Texas is trying to take money away from the communities that were devastated by the hurricane and transfer it out into far flung counties that had little, if any hurricane damage.
The counties in red and orange on the map, Galveston, Harris and Orange are left with huge funding shortfalls under Governor Perry’s plan for spending disaster recovery funds. Galveston County has 41 percent of the total unmet housing and business rebuilding needs but the Governor proposes to provide the county only 13 percent of the rebuilding funds. Orange County suffers with 13 percent of the total unmet need and gets only 3 percent from the State of Texas.
HUD is right to challenge the State’s reverse Robin Hood allocation plan.
