Porter Hedges Pro Bono Team Aids Three Families Affected by Hurricane Harvey Close on New Homes…And More to Come

In August 2017, countless number of Texas families lost their homes as a result of Hurricane Harvey.  On April 27, 2020, three of those families received keys to brand new homes.  Porter Hedges has had the privilege of helping to make this happen, in coordination with the non-profit Victoria County Long Term Recovery Group (VCLTRG) and other volunteer and charitable organizations.

The three new homes are the first in a series of several new homes that will be provided for families whose previous homes were destroyed by Hurricane Harvey.  The new homes are located in Hope Meadows, a new subdivision in Victoria County that will eventually include 40 such homes.  The VCLTRG raised donations to construct Hope Meadows, including $1.4 million from nonprofit Samaritan’s Purse, to purchase the land and build infrastructure.  The last piece —$2 million worth of construction labor — is being provided free of charge by volunteers from groups like Disaster Aid Ohio, Habitat for Humanity, and Mennonite Disaster Services. 

The Porter Hedges team provided pro bono legal representation for the new homeowners and assisted with the home closing processes on April 27.  The Porter Hedges team is currently working with several additional families who will be closing on their new homes in the near future, and plans to continue providing pro bono services to new homeowners as the Hope Meadows subdivision grows.

Other organizations and businesses that are helping to make these new homes available for needy families include Catholic Diocese of Victoria, The Community Bank of Victoria, and Stewart Title of the Coastal Bend, each of whom donated staff, time and offices to prepare for and hold the closings.  This pro bono matter was referred to Porter Hedges through the State Bar of Texas’s C-Bar and Texas Rural Legal Aid.