On November 12, the room was packed with housing advocates, community leaders, elected officials, and both longtime champions of low-income households and those new to the fight, all gathered to celebrate the accomplishments of a handful of special Texans effecting change. The 2025 Houser Awards was our opportunity to spotlight the work of some incredible individuals who have chosen to make this state a better place to live for all Texans. People like Sharon Underwood, Rep. Mary González, the Dallas Eviction Advocacy Center, and our co-founder Karen Paup have all given so much of themselves to ensure that low-income people can live in the communities of their choosing with safety and dignity.
Sharon Underwood was our first honoree and she started our afternoon strong with a direct call to action. In speaking about her experience organizing at her property in Kingwood, as well as other communities around not only Houston but other Texas cities, she implored the audience to fight for quality conditions in rental housing. Underwood powerfully stated to not simply accept the idea that just because someone is low-income that they are resigned to live in squalor; they deserve a decent and safe place to live, just like everyone else. And if that isn’t delivered, she is more than ready to let everyone – including the media – know about it. Underwood dedicated her award to the many people who she has worked to help in her decades of service to the community, with some who passed away before reaping the benefits of a better future. But Sharon’s conviction to help anyone who is experiencing poor conditions or discrimination at their property was felt by everyone in attendance.
We were then joined by our next awardee, who traveled the furthest to receive her honor, Rep. Mary González of El Paso. In her acceptance of her Houser Award, she spoke about her committment to her work to ensure that colonias not only do not proliferate, but the ones that exist are served with the basic needs they are not guaranteed such as electricity and running water. Rep. González saw that her constituents, as well as those throughout that state, needed stronger tenant protections, so she reached out to several advocates who were embedded in the work, including Texas Housers. Rep. González’s office is a busy place during the Texas Legislative session, but she expressed that challenging unjust housing policies is a priority she is proud to hold high.
When Mark and Lauren Melton, the founder and CEO of Dallas Eviction Advocacy Center respectively, addressed the Houser Awards crowd, they were unequivocal in their mission and support for tenants’ rights in our state. DEAC’s work is built on ensuring that the law is fair and executed properly within the court system. This cannot happen if the laws that are passed erode the very basic rights that every renter is entitled to. This is what Mark spoke directly to in his remarks, stating the fact that DEAC was in Austin every week during the 89th legislative session to make certain that bills designed to remove due process protections from all Texas tenants did not become law. And this effort was a success: DEAC, alongside Texas Housers and so many others, gutted harmful legislation that would have taken away essential rights for renters in our state. He also revealed the expansion of DEAC to cities such as Houston and future plans for several other cities on the horizon.
For our Lifetime Achievement Award, Karen Paup was joined by her Texas Housers’ co-founder John Henneberger to thank the countless individuals who have helped her in nearly 50 years of housing advocacy, many of whom were in attendance. But first, the entire room stood and thanked her for her half century of dedication to low-income households. From working in Austin on tenants’ rights and rent control, administering neighborhood housing with several CDCs, getting bonds passed to create millions of dollars in affordable housing, to her work with colonias with Projecto Azteca, LUPE, Texas RioGrande Legal Aid, and La Gloria Dev. Corp among others, Karen’s work simply could not be contained to summary. In acceptance of her award, Paup asked three things of the crowd: for us to trust and support grassroots community leaders to prioritize the housing issues important to them and come up with solutions, support women in affected communities as leaders, and learn and tell the stories of grassroots level problems, struggles and successes to define new and socially better city, state and federal housing solutions. Put simply, housing problems are best understood and solved at the community level.
Wrapping up the festivities, Texas Housers new executive director Quiana Fisher outlined what our work must look to build the Texas we wish to live in. She urged the room to envision a solution to today’s complex challenges solved by affected communities. “Whether natural disasters or discriminatory policies and practices, solutions to those problems can be found in and with community. Because I believe to my core that those that are closest to the problem are always closest to the solutions,” Fisher said.
We at Texas Housers were so proud to honor these proud fighters for housing justice. If you weren’t able to join us, please consider a one-time contribution or recurring donation. To remain a courageous and independent voice, we do not accept government funding.
We also want to give thanks to our Sponsors and Contributors who made the Houser Awards possible:
Builders
John Henneberger
Willy Forbath and Judy Coffin in honor of Karen’s Great Work & Leadership
Carpenters
The DMA Properties
Wendy Watriss
Masons
Elizabeth Mueller and Michael Oden
Heather Way and Bill Christian
Janis and Joe Pinnelli
Kate and Scott Willson
Mary Sanger
Pamela Brown
Susan Moffat and Nick Barbaro
The Housing Authority of the City of Austin
Contributors
Texas Homeless Network
Frances Leos Martinez and Joel G. Martinez
Guadalupe Neighborhood Development Corporation
Andy Homer
Catharine Echols
Fred and Jane Fuchs
Janee Briesemeister
Helen Gaebler and David Adelman
Michael and Linda Rhea
Nelson Mock and Ann Baddour
Barley|Pfeiffer Architecture
Rebecca Lightsey
Frances Ferguson
Christina Rosales
Kathy Tyler
Rundberg Alliance
Bob and Angie Ward
hatch + ulland owen architects
Lourdes Flores and Ignacio Trevino
Ruby Roa
Ruth Cedillo
Patrick B. Howard, Executive Director and CEO, Housing Authority of Travis County
We’ll see you next year for the 2026 Houser Awards!
