Over 600 TMO leaders from 44 institutions convened Sunday, October 20th at Assumption Catholic Church to hold Houston mayoral candidates accountable to the organization's slate of issues.  TMO leaders shared stories and asked targeted questions about gun safety, reducing fear in immigrant communities, flood recovery, flood prevention, illegal dumping, workforce development, and just wages. 

All three candidates -- Mr. Tony Buzbee, Mr. Bill King, and Mr. Sylvester Turner -- committed to meeting with TMO leaders within the first 30 days in office if elected.

With early voting beginning Tuesday, TMO leaders reminded the assembly to vote and help get out the vote.

Top Three Mayoral Candidates Answer Questions About 6 Issues The Metropolitan Organization Found to Have the Most Interest, Fox 26 Houston

Houston Mayoral Candidates Discuss Flood Prevention, Illegal Dumping and Harvey Recovery, KHOU Channel 11

Mayoral Candidates Pressed on Guns, Harvey Recovery, Dumping, Houston Chronicle

With our member congregations and institutions, we have worked to facilitate outreach sessions where we connect congregants with city, county, and non-profit staff who help to guide them through the process.  So far this year, TMO has conducted 8 outreach sessions.  Including outreach sessions from last year, TMO has engaged over 700 households, 80% of which did not previously have a case manager or recovery support. 

Sessions were held at Christ Church Cathedral Episcopal, Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic, Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic, St. Francis Cabrini Catholic, St. Gregory the Great Catholic, St. Cyril of Alexandria Catholic, and Our Lady of Grace Catholic in South Houston.

TMO leaders held seven civic academies across Harris County to educate voters about the upcoming County Bond election.  Guests including Bayou City Initiative’s Jim Blackburn, Harris County Flood District Representatives, and Commissioner Ellis’ staff joined the meetings. TMO leaders organized follow up phone banks to reach thousands of voters during the early voting period. 

Don’t forget to vote August 25, 2018!!

Catch TMO leaders at events they organized to bring repair services and resources to congregations across the city in this video put together by the Greater Houston Community Foundation.  

Click video link here to see leaders in action at minutes: 6:05, 6:06, 6:51, 6:53, 6:54, 6:55, 10:36, and 10:56! 

Great work TMO and partner agencies!

After months of research on Houston disaster recovery systems, in which TMO leaders learned there had been little movement from nonprofit agencies servicing clients, TMO organized 10 Hurricane Harvey Home Repair & Unmet Need Intake Sessions drawing 275 survivors from their congregations.  The popularity of the sessions revealed still-massive recovery needs, particularly in low-income communities.  Nearly 80% of all attendees lacked an active case manager or any communication with a recovery group prior to attending the sessions.  Leaders plan to put together more intake sessions, offering similar access to recovery resources, in hard-hit areas with great need.

Many TMO leaders have been waiting to hear from case managers for more than 6 months given the insufficient number of case managers to support the unprecedented disaster of Hurricane Harvey. After hearing those stories, TMO decided to call on the City to increase capacity for Disaster Case Management as well as to improve coordination and transparency of the process.

TMO leaders spoke at City Council regarding the need for more case managers and also met with the Director of Housing and Community Development to follow up on this need. The City of Houston is now opening lines of communication for community members and nonprofit agencies through a series of public Hurricane Harvey Recovery meetings for each district in March.

As the 60-day deadline for FEMA appeals approaches, TMO leaders are fighting to get that deadline extended, in addition to educating members and the public about the appeals process.  TMO is urging all Harvey survivors denied FEMA assistance to appeal as soon as possible.

Additional information about the appeals process can be found here.

[Photo Credit: Houston Public Media]

Advocates Tell Harvey Victims Not to Give Up if FEMA Denies Their Disaster Claims, Houston Public Media

Group Calls on Hurricane Harvey Victims to Appeal FEMA Aid Denials, Click 2 Houston

Community Groups Urge Extension of Deadline to File Appeals to FEMA in Wake of Harvey, Houston Chronicle

One month after TMO leaders and clergy publicly questioned why Red Cross Immediate Assistance funds were denied to thousands of families that met the criteria, the CEO of Red Cross Texas Gulf Division resigned among criticisms about undelivered aid.  Within days, top leadership from Red Cross met with TMO to ensure that aid will be delivered to families in need.

One month ago, Helen Mott, a parishioner at Our Mother of Mercy, was denied $400 in cash assistance from  Red Cross even though she had had to evacuate her uninhabitable home.  Because  Red Cross offered one of the few cash assistance resources available at the time, TMO organized a press conference at New Pleasant Grove Baptist Church, calling on them to ensure that families who needed these funds most would receive them.

At that press conference, TMO leader Charles Turner asked Red Cross to "take an extra step and work with community groups like ours and open up lines of communication so we can help people during this recovery process."

Red Cross is now responding to that challenge and expressing willingness to coordinate efforts with TMO.  Red Cross estimates that approximately 1.5 million families might have been wrongfully denied and is now working to ensure that families that qualify for assistance receive the aid they need.

Building on last month’s achievement of making tenants’ rights a front-and-center issue in post-Harvey recovery, The Metropolitan Organization of Houston (TMO) leaders continue working with documented — and undocumented — immigrants to ensure their rights are protected.

Houston Mayor, Texas Senator Join TMO in Call on Landlords for Post-Harvey Grace Period for Renters, Univision, Telemundo & More

Hurricane Harvey Drove Houston’s Undocumented Population Further Underground, Huffington Post

On October 6th, as thousands of Harvey survivors spent hours in line attempting to meet the deadline for emergency food aid, the Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (D-SNAP), TMO leaders organized a press conference at Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church to demand an extension of the deadline for families.

Said Fr. Simón Bautista, “For two days in a row [my parishioner] got in line at 6 a.m. and by the time she was seen, around 7 p.m., she was told that her last name was not being seen that day. She returned at 3 a.m. to find that 10 to 15 individuals were already in line. These individuals and families have been waiting in the heat, missing work and some still haven’t received the benefits.”

More than one week later, state officials announced a three-day extension of the deadline for families to enroll.  TMO leaders expressed pleasure at the news of the extension, and recognized Congresswoman Sheila Jackson and Commissioner Rodney Ellis for their role in securing that extension.

Leaders are now celebrating that the three-day extension permitted more than 27,000 additional families to enroll in D-SNAP, resulting in the award of $27 Million in food aid for Harris County Harvey survivors .

Said Fr. Albert Zannatta, "Matthew 25:35 reads: for I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat.   These words of Christ spurred TMO to call for an extension....[and] TMO will continue to work until all have received the recovery they need."

Sheila Jackson Lee Celebrated for Her Involvement in Extending D-SNAP Services in Houston, KIAH Newsfix

State Health Officials Continue Harvey Food Assistance Program, Houston Chronicle [pdf]

TMO Demands Extension of Deadline for Harvey Victims to Sign Up for D-SNAP, Houston Public Media

Community Leaders Push for D-SNAP Extension, Click 2 Houston

Appeal for Aid on Behalf of Needy, Houston Chronicle [pdf]

TMO Press Statement