In response to requests by housing advocates who came together two weeks ago to support a dedicated fee bill to…
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.
Bo McCarver’s weekly housing news compilation – 2/17/2009
Foreclosures continue at record rates as the Obama Administration prepares an injection of money into the failing American economy. Meanwhile,…
Texas Senate to hear request for additional housing trust funds
The Texas Senate Finance Committee will consider the budget of the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA) on…
…and over affordable housing issues on the Texas Senate side
In response to my blog earlier today about the composition of the Texas House Urban Affairs Committee I was asked…
TX House Committee over housing programs dominated by Democrats; D-FW
Those of us who follow the Texas legislature closely have been waiting for the committee assignments for the House to…
Bo McCarver’s weekly housing news compilation – 2/10/2009
As foreclosures convert homeowners to renters, construction of additional multi-family units to accommodate the surge languishes: the recession renders little…
Texas housing community calls of Legislature to provide $40 million per year for the Texas Housing Trust Fund
This week a group of about 100 people concerned with affordable housing for low income families met in Austin to…
Bo McCarver’s weekly housing news compilation – 2/3/2009
All eyes were on the political struggle surrounding the Democratic stimulus program this week as more dismal news of foreclosures…
Bo McCarver’s weekly housing news compilation – 1/27/2009
With the first round of bailout billions having rendered no progress in stemming foreclosures, the Obama Administration ponders where to…
February 3 meeting to discuss Texas housing legislation
The 81st session of the Texas Legislature has begun in the midst of an escalating housing crisis in Texas. This…
Bo McCarver’s weekly housing news compilation – 1/20/2009
A year ago, the business pages of Texas’ daily newspapers uniformly ran stories saying the national downturn in housing was…
Florida Housing Trust Fund raided to balance state budget
The Orlando Sentinel reports that the Florida Legislature raided the Florida Housing Trust Fund to cope with the state’s budget…
Bad decisions on hurricane rebuilding will force cuts in critical Texas services
The implications of screwing up the Hurricane Ike recovery effort by pursuing the course outlined in the Texas draft recovery…
Bo McCarver’s weekly housing news compilation – 1/14/2009
The rental housing market begins to feel the recession as vacancy rates increase and rents drop. Analysts cite unemployment as…
Fix the Texas Hurricane Ike and Dolly rebuilding plan
We have posted our comments to the State of Texas regrading the State’s proposed hurricane rebuilding plan. We offer fifteen…
Texas will be forced to ration hurricane home repair grants
Texas should allocate the limited disaster funds so that they take care of the housing needs of Hurricane Ike/Dolly survivors…
Bo McCarver’s weekly housing news compilation – 1/6/2009
Among the foreclosures and general decline in the housing market, this week we witness a huge drop in occupancy of…
Let’s resolve to win a serious housing trust fund for Texas
TxLIHIS is ringing in the New Year with a long list of resolutions – from ensuring that low-income hurricane survivors…
Bo McCarver’s weekly housing news compilation – 12/30/2008
The year ends on a dead beat as the housing industry continues to free-fall with no landing place in sight.…
Governor Perry must act to let hurricane victims move into apartments
More than half of 5,000 Galveston County families displaced by Hurricane Ike and given federal vouchers to rent homes or…
Houston’s Tropical Storm Allison home repair debacle provides warning regarding Hurricane Ike funds
The State of Texas is considering turning over administrative responsibility for $1.3 billion in Hurricane Ike rebuilding funds to local…
Bo McCarver’s weekly housing news compilation – 12/23/2008
Unquestioned, over-sold and under-regulated, the American Dream has collapsed and brought down a whole house of cards. Efforts to resurrect…
Changes to TX Residential Construction Commission do not fix the problem
In an earlier posting I applauded the decision of the Texas Sunset Commission staff to recommend the abolition of the…
It is time to stop pretending the COG disaster housing rebuilding program is the answer
In Wednesday’s blog entry I reported on the performance of the Councils of Governments (COGs) in carrying out Round 1…
Examining claims of local effectiveness in administration of housing disaster funds
There have been a lot of claims voiced by Councils of Governments (COGs), local officials and the Texas Office of…
Bo McCarver’s weekly housing news compilation – 12/18/2008
The eminent administration change refocuses policies to relief of low and middle income households rather than the financial industry. This…
Texas official in charge of disaster assistance refuses to state housing needs will be funded
I predicted the process for allocating funds set out in the draft ORCA Hurricane Ike/Dolly Disaster Plan will result in…
Put an end to FEMA trailers by moving people quickly into permanent housing
She says it far better than I can. We shot this interview with a woman whose home suffered major damage…
My suggestions for a Texas disaster housing program
In developing a plan to help Texas survivors of Hurricanes Ike and Dolly rebuild their homes I believe the starting…