A Little Louder Podcast
A Little Louder is a podcast from Texas Housers. We talk about fair housing, community development and community efforts to work toward just cities and inclusive neighborhoods.
Here is our latest episode:
Episode 58: How Texas renters live under extreme heat
High summer temperatures in the Lone Star State are a regular occurrence. However, in recent years, extreme heat has grown more dangerous, with 2023 being the second hottest summer on record.
With this in mind, Texas is not a state that requires rental units to have air conditioning. And even if a tenant is fortunate enough to have AC, a speedy repair or accommodations are also not codified in law.
This was the main impetus behind Texas Housers’ latest report ‘Renters, Air Conditioning, and Extreme Heat in Texas‘ and its author, Research Director Ben Martin, joined A Little Louder to discuss the current laws for AC in rental units in Texas and what we feel must change.
Past Episodes
Episode 1: What Clarksville can teach us about community preservation and displacement – Our debut episode about #OpportunityZones , preserving freedmen’s towns, and gentrification.
Episode 2: Integration Now: How inclusive communities promote options and opportunity – Texas Housers discusses residential integration with Demetria McCain of the Inclusive Communities Project in Dallas and how the nonprofit approaches neighborhood equity, mobility and housing choice.
Episode 3: How to avoid disaster recovery Groundhog Day – On what SB289 could do for Texans forced to wait years for recovery help, like one Houston resident, Deetra Harris. We also talk to a few of the experts who helped develop a pilot program for what a “precovery” plan – planning for recovery long before the disaster strikes – could be and how it worked in the Rio Grande Valley.
Episode 4: Home matters – We interview Texas Housers analyst Beth Legg about a demonstration project in San Antonio that could allow families with Housing Choice Vouchers to access high-opportunity neighborhoods by increasing the rent portion covered with a voucher. We also talk to Martha Sanchez of La Union del Pueblo Entero about how a federal mortgage assistance program in the 1980s changed the life trajectory for her three children.
Episode 5: Lubbock and the people’s pursuit for equal air – We discuss a proposed military base tenant bill of rights and a book called Separate: The Story of Plessy V. Ferguson, and America’s Journey from Slavery to Segregation. We also take a deep dive into some of Texas Housers’ latest work in Lubbock Texas.
Episode 6: The Houser guide to the 86th Texas Legislature – Texas Housers highlights some noteworthy housing bills proposed in the 2019 legislative session. Some promote quality housing and tenant rights. Others not so much. We also discuss low-income housing tax credit corruption and shortages in affordable housing.
Episode 7: The struggle for neighborhood history, the fight for neighborhood future – Texas Housers interviews members of the 10th Street Residential Association who discuss their experience in preserving their historical status and their continued struggle to ensure the future of their neighborhood, settled more than a century ago by freed slaves.
Episode 8: CDBG 101 -John Henneberger and Karen Paup, co-directors of Texas Housers, discuss how advocates and community members can help steer Community Development Block Grants back on track to its original goals to serve low-income communities.
Episode 9: Galveston’s Subsidized Housing Crisis – Texas Housers talks to community navigator Ericka Bowman who has been engaging Galveston residents of subsidized housing at Sandpiper Cove, as well as Sarah Smith of the Houston Chronicle about her coverage of the apartment complex. John and Christina also discuss a language justice campaign in the Rio Grande Valley.
Episode 10: Inside HUD’s plan that may threaten mixed-status families – Texas Housers breaks down HUD’s new proposed rule to evict families from subsidized housing if a member of the family is an immigrant without legal status.