Turley appointed to Harvey Relief Fund Advisory Board

The Houston Mayor’s Office has appointed Ruth López Turley to the Harvey Relief Fund Advisory Board, tasked with providing advice on how to spend the Hurricane Harvey relief funds managed by the Greater Houston Community Foundation.

The board, comprising five appointees from the Houston Mayor’s Office and five appointed by the Harris County Commissioners Court, announced its first round of grants Oct. 3. The initial round, totaling $7.55 million to 28 local nonprofit organizations, will provide services and support to flood victims. The grant contracts require that funds go toward programs that will benefit storm victims within the next 90 days.

Turley, professor of sociology, associate director for research at the Kinder Institute for Urban Research and director of Houston Education Research Consortium, said time is of the essence for the board.

“The main challenge we are trying to overcome is how to make smart decisions on how to use these funds under a very urgent time frame,” she said. “While every day that passes is a huge burden on Harvey victims, we want to do our due diligence and use resources strategically.”