— Unique partnership between five nonprofits meets ongoing disaster recovery needs of homeowners across Houston —
HOUSTON – June 2, 2021 – Reliant today announced a $250,000 donation to five local nonprofits collaborating to help Houstonians continue recovering from the winter storm. The Disaster Home Repair Collaborative, comprised of Avenue Community Development Corporation, Fifth Ward Community Redevelopment Corporation, Houston Habitat for Humanity, Rebuilding Together Houston and Tejano Center for Community Concerns, is a unique effort to share resources and knowledge to repair homes across multiple underserved Houston communities.
“When we heard about the Disaster Home Repair Collaborative, we knew we wanted to multiply the impact they can make in helping residents recover from the winter storm,” said Elizabeth Killinger, president of Reliant. “The creativity and partnership demonstrated by these five organizations is remarkable and a testament to how Houstonians unite to help people in need.”
The five female-led agencies first collaborated to repair Hurricane Harvey damaged homes in 2017. Working together to recover from major disasters allows the organizations to streamline processes, pool resources and share knowledge to make the largest positive impact possible. The organizations will distribute the donation equally, with each receiving $50,000 to serve the thousands of homeowners still awaiting support for hardships faced after Winter Storm Uri.
“During Hurricane Harvey, we realized that no single organization could take on the vast amount of repairs needed throughout Houston,” said Allison Hay, executive director at Houston Habitat for Humanity. “Fortunately, Local Initiatives Support Corporation, Houston began reaching out to organizations that repair housing to see how we could come together to help more Houstonians. And the collaborative that developed from that is this great group of women who are leading disaster recovery in Houston.”
Homeowners with household incomes at or below 80% of the Area Median Income can qualify for the Collaborative’s help, even if they have homeowner's insurance or receive FEMA aid. Each organization has served Houston and Harris County for over 20 years.
Local Impact
Ms. Jacquelyn Dalcour has lived in her home for 24 years and, during Winter Storm Uri, pipes in three areas of her house burst. Water flooded her front porch, back porch and garage, so much so that she had to raise the garage to let the accumulating water out. After working with Rebuilding Together Houston on extensive home repairs following Hurricane Harvey, Ms. Dalcour again reached out for help following the significant home damage from the winter storm, which are expected to be completed this week. She lives in the home with her daughter and granddaughter.
Giving Back Across Texas
Today’s donation from Reliant and parent company NRG Energy, Inc. is part of a $4 million commitment in cash donations to Texas communities to address food and water shortages, temporary or damaged housing and the overall recovery effort.
To support customers affected by the storm, Reliant is continuing to providing voluntary payment extensions, late fee waivers, deferred payment plans, and has donated an additional $500,000 to its CARE Program to assist residential customers in paying electricity bills.
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About Reliant, an NRG company
Reliant powers, protects and simplifies life by bringing electricity, security and related services to homes and businesses across Texas. Serving customers and the community is at the core of what we do, and the company is recognized nationally for outstanding customer experience. Reliant is part of NRG, a Fortune 500 company that creates value by generating electricity and providing energy solutions to nearly 6 million residential and commercial customers across the U.S. and Canada. NRG’s competitive residential electricity business, which includes Reliant, is one of the largest in the country. For more information about Reliant, visit reliant.com and connect with Reliant on Facebook at facebook.com/reliantenergy and Twitter or Instagram @reliantenergy. PUCT Certificate #10007.
Media Contact:
Megan Talley
713-537-2160
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