Episode 11: The Roundabout Way We Subsidize Affordable Housing – John and Christina talk to Texas Housers analyst J.T. Harechmak about how low-income housing tax credits work and the implications of a program often driven by business interests.
Episode 12: Juneteenth and Texas Freedom Colonies – Dr. Andrea Roberts of the Texas Freedom Colonies Project speaks with us about the often missed distinction between freedman’s towns and freedom colonies, the history of these neighborhoods, what needs to be done to ensure they thrive, and much more.
Episode 13: Where do the 2020 presidential candidates stand on housing? – We take a look at what each candidate has said about their stances on affordable housing, homeownership, tenant protections, fair housing and addressing homelessness.
Episode 14: Sonido del Agua Part 1 – A deep dive into the multi-year drainage campaign that improved infrastructure for multiple colonias in the Rio Grande Valley. Texas Housers interviews community leaders Alberta Ramirez and Ana Maria Gonzalez, former Texas Houser Josué Ramirez, and LUPE organizing coordinator Martha Sanchez.
Episode 15: Sonido del Agua Part 2 – This episode tells the story of how a community came together to write and produce a conjunto music album called Sonido del Agua, rooted in their experiences with deluge, drainage, and fighting to get the infrastructure to protect them from the next flood.
Episode 16: The House of Cards America Built – Texas Housers sat down with Giorgio Angelini, director of the film Owned: A Tale of Two Americas, to explore how the commodification of housing has distorted communities and the American ideals of opportunity and integration.
Episode 17: When Highways Threaten Our Legacy – On this episode, we spoke with residents of Independence Heights in Houston about the systematic erosion of this historic neighborhood for highway expansion among many other issues.
Episode 18: The Power of Renters – Texas Housers talked to tenants in Austin who are demanding that landlords, city officials, and fellow Texans pay attention to the power of renters and support a movement that centers human dignity in all housing.
Episode 19: Disaster recovery is leaving out renters – Texas Housers researcher Amelia Adams discusses patterns that put renters at a disadvantage in hurricane recovery compared with homeowners. We also talk to Texas RioGrande Legal Aid attorney Rachel Zummo about a lawsuit filed by TRLA on behalf of renters who describe the inequitable system of recovery a fair housing issue.
Episode 20: A look at RAD Conversion – This episode, we speak with a resident about how the long process of RAD conversion at a Fort Worth apartment complex has worked for her. We also discuss the merits of RAD conversion and what the shift from public housing to privatized housing means for our housing safety net.