On November 12, Austin’s Zilker Clubhouse was packed with attendees for our 2024 Houser Awards. It was a great honor to showcase the work of fierce advocates Kayla Miranda, Tanya Lavelle, and the Hon. Steve Duble and Hon. Dolores Lozano. These individuals each are effecting change in their own way, making Texas a better place to call home for low-income households. The support in the room for each of these individuals was palpable. The change they are creating is personal, not simply an occupation.
For people like awardee Kayla Miranda, achieving safety and dignity for low-income households is her life’s work. In accepting her Houser Award, Miranda spoke graciously about being recognized as a potential freedom fighter by Graciela Sanchez from Esperanza Peace and Justice Center, and now she is fortunate enough to do the same for younger community members. She took this inch and gained a mile in becoming a passionate organizer for tenant rights all over San Antonio, and having the fundamental understanding that organizing thrives on the bond of the community who you connect with.
Tanya Lavelle also attributed her success to her personal ties to disability rights. Having experienced what life is like with a disability, it drove her to ensure that the future is bright for Texans with disabilities and their families. Early on, Lavelle mentioned that it was an early mentor in Jean Langendorf who gave the direction to “Go off and do good.” This motto is tattooed on Lavelle, both on her spirit and literally on her wrist, and it shows in all that she has accomplished in both low-income housing and disability rights.
Both the Hon. Steve Duble and the Hon. Dolores Lozano each have seized a unique opportunity to practice in their roles as Harris County justices of the peace with equity at top of mind. Each of these judges have realized that the circumstances that bring tenants to eviction court often also exist once they leave; their rulings do not exist in a vacuum. Duble and Lozano have each endeavored to ask “How can we make this proceeding as equal in knowledge and fairness as possible?” And they have answered this question with Eviction Diversion Facilitators like Loreta Kovacic and Gregory Saez, who inform everyone who steps into their courtrooms of the rights that are afforded to both tenants and landlords. Duble and Lozano have also committed to providing information and wraparound services outside of the eviction process, such as opportunities for education and jobs, overall connecting that eviction is just one aspect of an entire ecosystem of poverty requiring many tools to repair. Their commitment to balancing the scales of justice to establish a truly fair courtroom is what we hope serves as a model for justice of the peace courts across Texas.
We also had the privilege to honor two Housers who we have lost this past year: David Hall and Standish Meacham. Our work continues to flourish because of the value that each of these individuals placed in our mission to support low-income households and communities of color.
Too often, low-income people and those fighting alongside them have been asked to sacrifice, compromise, and even been told “no” in the basic pursuit of affordable housing. The 2024 Housers awardees have emphatically refused to give up or sit on the sidelines in the struggle for housing justice.
We are fortunate that people like our Houser awardees are standing up for safe, affordable housing every day. We are so proud to offer our congratulations to the 2024 Houser Award recipients!
If you weren’t able to join us, please consider a recurring or one-time donation. To remain a courageous and independent voice, we do not accept government funding. Instead, we are supported by donations and grants from people like you. Your donation helps us continue this work.
We also want to give thanks to our Sponsors and Contributors who made the Houser Awards possible:
Builders
The DMA Properties
Ladies of Charity
William Forbath and Judith Coffin
Carpenters
Janis and Joe Pinnelli
Masons
In Memory of David G. Hall
Covenant Community Capital
Susan Moffat and Nick Barbaro
Heather Way and Bill Christian
Kate and Scott Willson
Elizabeth Mueller and Michael Oden
Foundation Communities
Wendy Watriss
Guadalupe Neighborhood Development Corporation
Dr. Shannon Van Zandt
John Henneberger
Contributors
Gregory A. Copp
Tom and Effie Hatch
Frances Leos Martinez and Joel G. Martinez
Bob and Margy Ayres
Texas Homeless Network
David Anderson and Janee Briesemeister
Fred and Jane Fuchs
Joyce Pohlman
Mary Sanger
Andrew Homer
Kathy Tyler
United Ways of Texas
Honorable Elliott Naishtat
Malcolm Greenstein
Frances Ferguson
We’ll see you in 2025 for the Houser Awards!
