Although only 24 years old, Josué Ramírez has taken on a leading role in working with grassroots community leaders to…
Category: Local issues
Local issues consist of housing topics faced by city and county governments that are of interest to local organizers and community groups.
Homer the homeless goose and Blackland neighborhood – an oral history tribute
Happy 25th birthday Homer! via Ball: Homer the homeless goose celebrates 25th birthday,… | www.statesman.com. In honor of Homer we…
The Blogosphere Discusses Segregation in Austin
Over the last two months, there’s been an uptick in folks visiting the Texas Housers website after searching on terms…
Ruby Roa, the American-Statesman’s Volunteer of the Year
Congratulations to Ruby Roa for being named “Volunteer of the Year” by the Austin American Statesman. Meet Ruby Roa, the…
Notice at apartment complex targets young blacks – Houston Chronicle
The Houston Chronicle is reporting on a notice found posted at a southwest Houston apartment complex warning residents to report…
Aunt Bertha points people to help
A colleague just pointed out an interesting new website designed to refer people needing help in a range of areas,…
Map shows precinct results for Austin housing bond defeat
Last Tuesday the $78 million Austin housing bond proposition was narrowly rejected by the voters by a margin of 51.4%.…
$78M Austin housing bond issue narrowly defeated; Houston passes $15M in housing bonds
The $78 million housing bond proposal by the City of Austin was narrowly rejected by voters Tuesday. The vote was 114,330…
Houston voters decide on housing bonds today
While Austin voters will decide today on $78,300,000 in bonds for housing, voters in Houston go to the polls to vote…
Housing bonds before Austin voters today
Here is a background story from the Austin American-Statesman. From the City of Austin’s website: Ballot Language: The issuance of…
Latest data shows TX minimum wage earners can’t afford half the rent on a typical apartment
According to a national report released today, the Housing Wage for Texas is $15.88. The Housing Wage is the hourly…
‘Homeless hotspots’ at South X Southwest stir controversy
A company has handed out mobile hotspots to homeless folks to walk around SXSW in Austin and people pay them…
Housing authority shake-up may be under way – Houston Chronicle
The Houston Chronicle reports… Harris County Commissioners Court on Tuesday replaced the board chairman of the Harris County Housing Authority,…
The Harris County Housing Authority gets motivated to act like the top 1 percent
If the previous blog post was not a sufficient indictment of the outrageous spending by the Harris County Housing Authority…
Harris County Housing Authority’s excesses exposed by Houston Chronicle
“Appalling. … One of the greater abuses of appointed office that I’ve seen,” Harris County Judge Ed Emmett told the Houston Chronicle. That does not…
The ‘Whitest town in North Texas’ fights to keep it that way
This might just be the ideal place to film a remake of “Birth Of A Nation,” D.W. Griffith’s silent film…
HUD rejects City of Houston fair housing effort
HUD has rejected the City of Houston’s fair housing plan known as the Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing (AI).…
Dallas fumbles in the absence of a housing policy
Housing segregation is a problem most Texas communities struggle with. Crippled by a lack of political courage and leadership no…
DMN editorial says paper will push housing in 2012
An editorial in today’s Dallas Morning News says the paper will editorially push two housing issues on the editorial pages…
Couple lives in tent waiting for Ike-damaged home’s repair | khou.com Houston
Just when you think you have seen the worst government can do to Hurricane Ike victims along comes this story.…
On 3rd anniversary 200 tell Houston City Council reforms are needed in Hurricane Ike recovery program
The following testimony was presented before the Houston City Council on the third anniversary of Hurricane Ike, September 13, 2011.
Protesters say city slow to repair Ike-damaged houses – Houston Chronicle
Bearing photos of homes that still have blue tarps on the roofs, more than 100 protesters held a rally at…
Senior’s city-built home lacked insulation – Houston Chronicle
After months of delay in getting its housing repair program under way, Houston’s housing department was eager last month to…
Three Years After Ike, Many Still Await Assistance | Public News Service
AUSTIN, Texas – Today marks the third anniversary of Hurricane Ike, and many low-income Texans, particularly in the Houston area,…
September 13, 2011 is the three year anniversary of Hurricane Ike
Please take a few moments to consider the plight of the tens of thousands of elderly and disabled Texans who…
Houston experiences largest growth of poor population in American metros
Other central cities that saw populations of the poor soar between 2000 and 2007 included Dallas, Phoenix, Indianapolis, Columbus, San Antonio,…
When the overwhelming majority of good people don’t confront prejudice, an entire community suffers
I received a phone call yesterday from Galveston Mayor Joe Jaworski about my June 25 blog post, “The racism of New Berlin…
Colonia improvements still leave the poor in deplorable housing
Colonias in the Rio Grande Valley are home to some of the poorest Texans. Governmental efforts to improve living conditions…
Thousands still recovering from Hurricane Ike | abc13.com
The community organization TOP held an information fair for low-income Houston homeowners Saturday to help them find out when they…