Houston Mayor Bill White tells Houstonians not to worry about substandard apartments
I was proud to present Houston Mayor Bill White an award in 2007 on behalf of the National Low IncomeContinue Reading
Category: Local issues
It is too late for two children but now is the time for Houston to act on slum apartments
It happened again last night. More kids were hurt, this time killed, in the slum apartments the city of HoustonContinue Reading
Recalling the prehistory of public housing in Texas
Watch our interview with Professor Fox on the origins of public housing in Texas. A number of years ago KarenContinue Reading
The present day saga on one Texas non-border colonia
First Texas had colonias along the border with Mexico. Now “non-border colonias” are an emerging issue. A colonia, in Texas terms,Continue Reading
Austin housers voice concerns over proposed city housing cuts
Leaders in Austin’s affordable housing community met July 1 the City of Austin’s new Chief of Staff, Anthony Snipes toContinue Reading
Katrina evacuee’s Habitat success story greeted by cheers and jeers
Reading the story in the Houston Chronicle on July 4 about Andrea Lee who moved to Houston after Hurricane KatrinaContinue Reading
The voice of consumers is missing in judging subsidized housing
Low income tenants are seldom consulted about the quality of housing that the government builds for them. I have longContinue Reading
Unraveling the mystery of 500 unused Dallas Section 8 vouchers
The Dallas Morning News ran a story by Kim Horner on June 23 about 500 Section 8 vouchers that haveContinue Reading
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July 3, 2008
El Cenizo community leader Lupe De Leon fought for property rights, housing, better living conditions
On Saturday, June 28, 2008, Lupe De Leon died at his home in El Cenizo TX. Mr. De Leon wasContinue Reading
Part 2: Housing segregation in Austin – a community blind to the problem
Watch my video blog or read the text below. Austin is a city of intense racial and economic segregation. DespiteContinue Reading
Part 1: Housing segregation in Austin – a product of government policy
Watch the slide show of racial and economic housing segregation and the current housing policy decisions of the City ofContinue Reading
Home builders object and Austin backs away from housing visitability requirements
June 18 was not an auspicious day in Austin housing rights history. Shortly before voting to adopt the anemic affordableContinue Reading
City of Austin’s affordable housing initiative fizzles out
An Austin City Council affordable housing initiative fizzled out early June 19 as the Council voted to adopt a PUDContinue Reading
City of Austin staff proposes housing cuts of over $6 million
My colleague, Karen Paup stays up to date on all the Austin housing issues and she has pointed out anContinue Reading
House flippers and scam artists prey on Houston poor
House flippers and scam artists prey upon low income Texans as they desperately struggle to find a home or tryContinue Reading
Disgraceful indifference to substandard conditions in Houston
In an outstanding piece of investigative journalism Houston Chronicle staff writers Matt Stiles, Mike Snyder and Julio Cortez have exposedContinue Reading
Inclusionary zoning: background
After yesterday’s posting in which I discussed the use of inclusionary zoning several people asked me what inclusionary zoning isContinue Reading
Recommendations for state action to prevent displacement of low income people from gentrifying neighborhoods
A group of us have been kicking around ideas to address the problem of the involuntary displacement of low incomeContinue Reading
Do Texas cities care about gentrification?
The problem of the displacement of low-income families from long-established inner city neighborhoods has become a major issue in theContinue Reading