Lenwood Johnson, Texas’ foremost public housing advocate, sent me an email this afternoon about the prospects for rebuilding public housing in Galveston. Lenwood fought a long fight to save Allen Parkway Village public housing development in Houston and he can sense the political considerations mounting for not rebuilding the public housing in Galveston.
Here is Lenwood’s take on the news about public housing coming out of Galveston.
We knew it was coming. It happened in New Orleans. It is like it was with Allen Parkway Village. It could not be repaired or it was too expensive to repair.
One of several things are happening here:
1.) Developers want the site for gentrification type of redevelopment.
2.) Local builders can make more money by building new units instead of repairing old.
3.) The federal government can shed the Budgetary Outlays for the long-term annual contributions contracts.
4.) People in power do not care for poor people.
5.) Maybe, all of the above.
