Ten years ago Senator Eddie Lucio (D-Brownsville) authored and passed legislation that has built hundreds of affordable homes in Texas,…
Category: State issues
From following laws changed through the Supreme Court of Texas and the Texas Legislature to programs and procedures of the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs, we’re exploring statewide issues here.
Texas legislature rejects adoption of federal fair housing law
The 1968 Fair Housing Act requires that HUD and other federal agencies, as well as their grantees further fair housing.…
Once again, here is my prescription for fixing TSAHC
I wrote a year ago concerning my recommendations for the future of the Texas State Affordable Housing Corporation (TSAHC) but…
Texas State Affordable Housing Corporation left twisting in the wind
The Texas State Affordable Housing Corporation (TSAHC) was the least noticed among for state agencies left in limbo by the…
Bo McCarver’s weekly housing news compilation – 6/2/2009
Ever-optimistic realtors claim steady sales transactions at foreclosure auctions bode good news for the housing industry but realists point out…
The truly critical issue the Legislature failed to act on
My colleague Robert Doggett pointed out to me yesterday just how pathetic the Texas Legislature’s efforts to deal with the…
Summary of legislative action on Texas housing trust fund
John Henneberger note: Kristin Carlisle in our office coordinated efforts on behalf of the Housing Texas coalition to gain a…
Bo McCarver’s weekly housing news compilation – 5/26/2009
John Henneberger note: I have fallen a bit behind in posting Bo’s excellent housing news summaries during the last weeks…
Quick summary of Texas Legislature’s housing accomplishments
The 80th session of the Texas legislature will be gaveled to a close sometime tonight. There is always a sense…
Bo McCarver’s weekly housing news compilation – 4/26/2009
The housing industry offers no silver linings in the gloomy clouds over the US economy. Home values continue to drop…
$20 million added by House to Texas housing trust fund
An amendment approved at midnight last Friday to the House appropriations bill increased funding for the Texas housing trust fund…
Bo McCarver’s weekly housing news compilation – 4/14/2009
Frozen by the recession, the nation’s exurbs are folding. Thousands of unfinished tract developments mark both the boundaries of sprawl…
Activity at legislature leads to less blogging
Despite my best of intentions I’m doing a lousy job with blogging the past two weeks. My excuse once again…
Bo McCarver’s weekly housing news compilation – 4/7/2009
Stories of mortgage scams and foreclosures largely receded to the second pages of newspapers this week as editors and writers…
Bo McCarver’s weekly housing news compilation – 3/24/2009
As the recession evolves to a depression, those in the top income bracket cling to their accumulations and wait for…
Texas realtors association oppose housing trust fund bill
A broad cross-section of Texans supporting the expansion of state funding for the Texas Housing Trust Fund testified on the…
Bo McCarver’s weekly housing news compilation – 3/17/2009
Six months after Hurricane Ike, Galveston’s poor are still shuffling about looking for housing. FEMA has finally opened a trailer…
Bo McCarver’s weekly housing news compilation – 3/10/2009
The recession slowly seeps into Texas as mortgage defaults climb within a sagging economy that is increasingly characterized by layoffs…
The struggle begins to successfully design a TX Neighborhood Stabilization Program
I have previously expressed concerns about how the new Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP) can be successfully implemented. I attended a…
Housing advocates tell HUD that TX Disaster recovery plan fails to disclose how the money will be spent
After reviewing the Disaster Recovery Plan that the Texas Office of Rural Community Affairs (ORCA) submitted to HUD the Texas…
Texas once again has the nation’s highest homeowner insurance rates
A new study by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners reports that once again Texas has the highest homeowners insurance…
Bo McCarver’s weekly housing news compilation – 3/3/2009
The nationalization of mortgage banks draws debate this week with conservatives arguing that “flexibility” will be jeopardized. Meanwhile, the inflated…
Can Texas handle the increase in homeless and low-income weatherization funds?
All of the money coming to Texas from the economic stimulus bill is a great thing. But as the size…
Texas share of housing funds from Economic Stimulus bill announced
Texas is set to receive $517,101,969 in funds for low-income housing from the Economic Stimulus Bill. This $517,101,969 is the…
Bo McCarver’s weekly housing news compilation – 2/24/2009
The first infusion of federal money to bailout banks had insignificant impact on housing foreclosures as bankers channeled the money…
Senate Committee explores state role in easing home foreclosure problems
The Texas Senate Intergovernmental Relations Committee held the first of what promises to be several hearings to explore the home…
Texas legislature focuses on unmet rural housing needs
It is no secret that rural housing needs have received far less attention than urban housing needs in Texas. A…
A failed housing program will always come back and bite the responsible entity
One had to feel sorry for Michael Gerber Thursday morning. Appearing before a subcommittee of the Texas House Appropriations Committee…
Housing Texas, TACDC, others to coordinate push for housing trust fund
Housing Texas, the Texas Association of Community Development Corporations and other affordable housing advocates and providers plan to coordinate visits…
Expansion and revisions to Texas Bootstrap Loan program proposed
Legislation has been filed to update and expand the highly popular Texas Bootstrap Loan program. Texas Senator Eddie Lucio (D)-Brownsville,…