League City homeowners with storm-damaged houses could qualify for a brand-new home at no cost under a program launching this fall in Galveston County.
The homes are free.
The Coalition to Construct New Homes, led by the Texas City-based 4B Disaster Response Network, plans to begin building replacement homes for qualifying disaster survivors starting in fall 2026, with construction continuing through winter 2027. The coalition includes Hope Disaster Recovery, Vision Galveston, and the Pennsylvania-headquartered Mennonite Disaster Service.
"I'm calling it a 'once in a generation miracle,'" 4B DRN Executive Director John Eckberger said in the Galveston Daily News on Thursday, July 30. "Imagine: How often does someone come along and offer a family a newly-constructed home at no cost?"
The homes will be 900 to 1,100 square feet, energy-efficient, and engineered to withstand coastal wind gusts of up to 150 mph. The program replaces repeatedly damaged homes with new structures rather than patching old ones.
Who qualifies
The 4B DRN is actively seeking families in Galveston County who meet four criteria:
- The home must have been damaged by a disaster.
- The family must own the property.
- There can be no liens or unpaid taxes on the property.
- The family must be able to afford insurance and upkeep on the new home.
League City falls within the 4B DRN's service area, which the nonprofit defines as "from the Beltway to the Beach and Brazoria County to the Bay."
Track record
The Mennonite Disaster Service has repaired at least 74 homes and built six new ones in Harris, Liberty, and Montgomery counties over the past two seasons, according to MDS operations coordinator Matt Troyer-Miller in a grant document cited by the Galveston Daily News. Hope Disaster Recovery, founded by the Rev. Godfrey Hubert after Hurricane Harvey in 2017, has repaired 232 homes across 13 Texas counties with $1.78 million in funding, according to the Texas Annual Conference of United Methodists.
The 4B DRN itself formed in response to Harvey and reported $588,195 in revenue for fiscal year 2024, more than double its 2023 total, according to IRS filings.
Hubert, who also serves as disaster readiness coordinator for the Texas Annual Conference, cited research showing vulnerable communities lose 7% of their wealth with each disaster. "Many families lose far more than that when there are no resources to rebuild from the storm damage," he said in the Galveston Daily News column.
How to apply
The coalition has not published a dedicated application form. No specific number of homes planned or groundbreaking date has been announced beyond "fall 2026."
Interested League City residents can contact the 4B DRN at 409-502-3040 or [email protected]. The nonprofit is based at 2700 B Texas Ave. in Texas City.
