Voluntary Buyout Program has concluded
The Voluntary Buyout program has ended for Harris County and is no longer accepting applicants.
Harris County Disaster Recovery Voluntary Buyout Program is a program jointly operated through the Harris County Community Services Department (HCCSD), the Harris County Engineering Department’s Real Property Division (HCRPD), and the Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) to assist owners whose homes were damaged by Hurricane Harvey (2017) to relocate outside the threat of flooding.
Buyout programs support hazard mitigation, floodplain management goals, and resiliency by removing homeowners from the floodplain, thus eliminating vulnerability to future flooding situations. After homes are purchased, the structures are demolished or relocated. The land reverts to a natural floodplain, converts into a retention area, or is retained as green space for recreational purposes.
The buyout program serves multiple objectives and provides a resiliency option versus rebuilding within a floodplain. Buyouts help prevent repetitive loss and extreme risk to human health and safety. When conducted sooner rather than later, Buyouts prevent homeowners from making repairs and investing funds in properties that they then may not want to sell.